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Greensboro Urban Ministry Presents
When Helping Hurts

DATE: September 14
TIME: 12:30-2:00 PM
LOCATION: Weaver House Classroom
MORE: Tuesdays for 10 Weeks

The Rev. Frank Dew, chaplain at Greensboro Urban Ministry, will facilitate a discussion of the book “When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Ourselves.”

Read more on Book study: When Helping Hurts…

THE FOLLOWING IS A GUEST POST, WRITTEN BY DONNA NEWTON OF THE GREENSBORO NEIGHBORHOOD CONGRESS. It contains important information about RUCO, and how you can take action in support of RUCO. (Slightly edited for the web from original emails.)

The focus of the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is the preservation and improvements of our neighborhoods in terms of quality of life, property values and safety. As we all know, sub-standard housing undermines surrounding property values — even one substandard property can undermine the property values of an entire neighborhood. Also, we know that sub-standard properties invite crime into our communities.

Other organizations that are partnering in support of the pro-active aspects of RUCO, such as the Greensboro Housing Coalition and the Human Relations Commission, are focused on the human rights issues of improving sub-standard rental properties, in that renters have a right to live in safe housing and that many of them won’t complain about substandard housing out of fear of retaliation from their landlords.

RUCO is a sucessful program

• Since RUCO was implemented, known sub-standard housing in Greensboro has been reduced from 1679 units in 2003 to 705 in 2010;
• Since RUCO was implemented, complaints about sub-standard housing have been decreased 77%;
• Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been reduced by 22%.
• Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been more successful in getting deteriorated housing to the Minimum Housing Commission more quickly and the number to go has steadily increased from 17 in 2003 to 105 in 2010.

RUCO is reasonable

• Once inspected and a certificate is issued, the RUCO is good for the life of the property unless there is a complaint on the property or violations are found during the sampling inspections and not repaired within the prescribed time frame.
• The time frame in which a violation must be repaired is 45 days from the written notice of the violation and can be extended as long as in the judgment of the inspector, progress is being on the repairs.
• The sampling inspection process applies only to a random 2% of rental properties.
• Rental properties that have not yet been inspected that come on the rental market are required to pass inspection and be issued a RUCO before they can be rented.

Opponents of RUCO plan to propose an elimination of the pro-active portions of RUCO, and as they couch it: “target problem properties”. Their proposal will in effect eliminate RUCO. Read more on Guest post: Donna Newton on RUCO and how you can take action…

At the YES! Weekly blog, Jordan Green is keeping up with the latest proposed changes to the City of Greensboro’s RUCO ordinance, governing inspection of rental units. Housing advocates insist on keeping proactive inspections that protect tenants — particularly low-income and poor tenants who often fear retaliation if they report bad landlords. But the task force is discussing eliminating required inspections. The City Council will vote on any proposed changes to the ordinance.

Read more on YES! Weekly blog has more on RUCO…

What if everyone in Greensboro read the same book… and then set out to build a stronger community?

One City, One Book
Book discussions, art exhibits, theater, concerts, films and more
Sept 19 – Nov 19, 2010
Sponsored by Friends of the Greensboro Public Library
2010 Selection: “The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music,” by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez

Read more on One City, One Book 2010: Greensboro reads The Soloist…

Homeless children living in motels is not a new phenomenon, but it was news to some High Point teachers:

“Groups of teachers from Oak Hill Elementary went door-to-door in their students’ neighborhoods to meet parents and remind them that Wednesday is the first day of class at their school.

Read more on Teachers surprised by homeless children…

The City of Greensboro began the Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy (RUCO) program in 2003. Landlords are required to receive a certificate — verifying that there are no code violations — for every rental unit.

Read more on RUCO: Power vs. poverty?…

Bad news for North Carolina’s oldest and largest private, non-profit mental health advocacy organization:

“…[T]he financially troubled Mental Health Association of North Carolina is one of the state’s largest private providers of group homes and treatment programs.

Read more on Mental Health Association of North Carolina loses accreditation…

Mark Stinson

This is a guest post from my friend, Mark:

Hello,I’m Mark Stinson I was once a Homeless man here in Greensboro,N.C.. But now I’m living in and Oxford house and I’m sober an Off the street’s. Thank’s to the Help from my now Loving friend’s and family of StreetWatch G-Boro.. I’m also a memember,and love speaking on behave of Them and homelessness. If I can be of any help please let me know. mstinson60@yahoo.com Thank You!

Mark is also on Facebook. And he appears in this Fox8 video on Facebook (no longer available on Fox8 site). The woman who appears in that video is also housed now.

Read more on Guest post: Mark, no longer homeless in Greensboro…

Back On My Feet is a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.

We do not provide food or shelter, but instead provide a community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership.

Currently, there are BOMF chapters in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. In 2011, BOMF will expand to Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul and two more cities. We want Greensboro to be one of those cities!

Read more on Help bring Back On My Feet to Greensboro!…

A social experiment with food…

image credit: Samantha Celera

“As the first crowd of customers filed into Panera’s nonprofit restaurant… only the honor system kept them from taking all the food they wanted for free.

Read more on Panera Cares: Eat what you want, pay what you can…

Have a fun fourth and help support Greensboro’s homeless day center:

The IRC will be making a splash in the Fun Fourth parade this Saturday, July 3!  The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Greene and Bellemeade and goes down Greene Street and up Church Street to end at the Children’s Museum.

Read more on Have a Fun Fourth, eat free, get your car washed AND help the homeless!…

“Many summer food programs have been slashed during the recession leaving low-income children with fewer options, a report by the Food Research and Action Center said Tuesday.The budget cuts reduced participation in summer school food programs across the nation over the past years, the anti-hunger group said.This drop in participation comes at a time when more and more families need these food programs, the Center said. ‘When summer food participation needed to be rising, there instead was a dip of 2.5 percent — or 73,000 low-income children — from July 2008 to July 2009,’ the Center said in a statement… ‘While 17.5 million low-income children received school lunch during the 2008-2009 school year, only 2.8 million children got summer food when school was out,’ the Center said.That means only 16 percent of low-income students got the summer school meals in 2009.”

Read more on Study: Recession means more hungry kids, but less summer school food programs…