Homeless people struggling to access county substance abuse treatment services
posted: October 22, 2008 | category: community, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, policy
Homeless people are having difficulty accessing substance abuse treatment in Greensboro. Many have told me that they’ve called or visited Guilford Center, the county mental health agency, and just been given the phone number for Bridgeway, the county treatment center. But when they call Bridgeway, they get a recording telling them to leave a name […]
Read More..>>Addicts and entitlement programs
posted: October 13, 2008 | category: substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, crime, policy
I have literally lost track of the number of alcoholics and addicts I know who have used their disability checks, utility checks and food stamp cards to get alcohol and drugs. I have concluded that putting any kind of benefits check or a food stamp card directly in the hands of someone with a […]
Read More..>>You never call me when you’re sober
posted: October 6, 2008 | category: community, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, lyrics, music, video
Talking to a girlfriend today about a mutual friend whose addiction is slowly, but surely, killing our friendship. She said, “You gotta hear this song.”
[video link]
[Sigh.] Yeah…. what she said. Love my friends. Hate, hate, hate addiction.
Lyrics below.
Article exposes problems with homeless housing initiative
posted: September 26, 2008 | category: homelessness, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, depression, homeless news, housing first, Ten Year Plan
About a year ago, chronically homeless people in Guilford County began moving from the street into permanent housing, with the help of housing support teams, as part of a state-funded pilot program. Dozens of my homeless friends have moved into housing. That is great and exciting, and I am thankful. However, as part of the […]
Read More..>>Update on county treatment center
posted: September 24, 2008 | category: substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, news
The Guilford County Substance Abuse Treatment Center, run by Bridgeway, has passed a state inspection and will be able to start admitting new clients again within 10 days. Admissions were suspended last month when inspectors found violations at the facility. This is great news and I’m very glad to hear it.
» Read the press release.
Cops: More downtown good problems
posted: August 25, 2008 | category: community
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, crime, downtown, Greensboro, police, politics
About an hour after this, police downtown stopped a car on Elm Street for an open container violation. Somebody in the car had an open bottle of liquor. That led to powder and crack cocaine charges. Other officers stopped the next car in line, also for open container. That led to […]
Read More..>>State suspends admissions at Guilford County treatment center
posted: August 20, 2008 | category: homelessness, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, news
From Guilford Center news release,* 08/20/2008:
The Guilford Center received notification on August 15, 2008 from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR), Mental Health Licensure and Certification Section, that the Guilford County Substance Abuse Treatment Center at 5209 West Wendover Avenue, High Point, had been issued two […]
The eyes have it
posted: August 5, 2008 | category: substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, music
[video link]
Don’t you know I know? I know those eyes…
Get help. More:
AA, AA Greensboro
NA, NA Greensboro
“The 7 Stages of Crack Cocaine Use”
“12 Steps, With Bible Verses”
“What You Need To Hear About Crack Cocaine”
My church struggles with how to love our homeless neighbors
posted: August 4, 2008 | category: community, faith, homelessness
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, homeless news, housing, policy
Blankets, clothing and other items left out in the open by homeless people who sleep outside at Grace Community Church are stacked beside the dumpster a few days before it’s scheduled to be emptied, giving them a chance to retrieve their things.
My church, Grace Community on West Lee Street, is struggling with how to answer […]
The “worthy” homeless
posted: July 16, 2008 | category: homelessness, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, panhandling
A few days ago, I wrote a post in response to a News & Record story about Mark Hoffman, a mentally ill homeless man who used to sit on a bench near a church in Greensboro, but now sits on a bench by a church in Catonsville, Maryland — his hometown.
Here’s what Sam Spagnola wrote […]
