Melissa and I met a new friend at the Freeman Mill tent city on Friday while we were doing StreetWatch. Jeffrey told us that he’s not homeless, “just a vagabond”, and he played and sang music for us and let me film him. The first thing he played was, I think, Ben Harper (top video). But what captivated me and spoke to my soul, was his rendition of “How He Loves Us” (bottom video). He shared with us about his journey in life, and let’s just say, the words of “How He Loves Us” (lyrics below) fit his story… and mine. God is good. I am grateful.

“How He Loves Us” lyrics, by Kim Walker

He is jealous for me
Love’s like a hurricane,
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of
His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.

Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.
(x2)

Yeah, He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves.
(x2)

We are His portion and
He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption
by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns
violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves
(x2)

Yeah, He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us
He loves us
He loves us
He loves.

Yeah, He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves

He loves us,
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves us
Whoa, how He loves

“Alex Santos didn’t expect to be homeless before he was 30. Then, in the past few years, the 28-year-old lost his job, his wife and his home all in a row — the pillars of his life falling like dominoes.

He’s one of hundreds who have found help at the Interactive Resource Center, a homeless day shelter in downtown Greensboro partially funded by Guilford County.

But under a suggested $4.1 million in cuts to the county’s Human Services budget, Guilford would end funding for the center…”

I contacted IRC director Liz Seymour to ask what percentage of the center’s funding comes from the County, and how losing funding will affect the day center. Here’s Liz’s response:

The article was not entirely accurate–the County isn’t cutting existing funding, but it is cutting a funding request out of the proposed budget. There are some real and important issues at stake and we would love to have your help and support. The Commissioners will hold a series of budget hearings starting tonight and finishing with a county-wide hearing on Thursday, May 3 at 5:30 at the Commissioners Meeting Room in the Old Courthouse. It’s not just about the IRC, it’s all the groups out there who are helping more and more people with less and less support.

Our total budget is about $400,000 of which roughly half comes from individual gifts; the rest is largely from foundations, churches and a little bit from civic groups and businesses. (And honestly, although our budget is $400,000 we’re operating on an austerity budget that comes in a lot closer to $300,000–not sustainable, but necessary at the moment).

In 2009 the County allocated $275,000 for renovation of the building we are now in but we have never received any operating funds from the County. We put in a request last year through the CBO (Community Based Organization) process and were denied; we have applied again this year as a CBO with a request for $25,000 but once again are not in the budget. We do not receive regular funding from the City either, though this year we will be eligible to apply for a slice of Community Development Block Grant money, a federal pass-through that the City administers (it’s worth noting that the CDBG is a very small pie and everyone’s slice comes out pretty thin)

Because government funding at every level (local, state and federal) is in such jeopardy these days we have not built our long-range strategy around it. Our greatest growth at the moment is in individual gifts–this year fully half of our giving has come from first-time donors, which indicates to me that when people understand what we are doing they want to support it. The rule of thumb for philanthropy is that 70-80 percent of giving comes from individual donors; at the moment for us it’s a little under 50 percent. One of our biggest needs is simply to get the word out!

That said, anything we can do to persuade the County Commissioners to allocate funds to the IRC would be huge. At the most practical level the funds we have requested would pay for almost a month of operations. On a civic level Paul Gibson is absolutely right: ‘They’re doing the work the county’s not doing.’ And we’re saving the entire county a lot of money too…

>> Have a look at Guilford County’s Human Services FY 2012-2013 Recommended Budget Info here. Dates of budget meetings, work sessions and the public hearing; as well as links to all parts of the recommended budget, here.

>> Learn more about the great work that the Interactive Resource Center is doing to help the homeless! Make a donation online. Connect with the IRC on Facebook and Twitter. And help spread the word! The IRC provides much-needed services to people who are homeless, formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Get involved!

The women’s winter shelter closed at the end of March. The Greensboro Urban Ministry shelter is full. She’s applied to the Salvation Army’s shelter program, but hasn’t gotten in there, either. There are no other shelters in Greensboro.

A nurse at the IRC (a friend of mine) suggested she call me. Our StreetWatch ministry provides tents and sleeping bags for homeless people who sleep outside. She asked me for blankets and she wanted to know where would be a safe location for her to sleep? And quite honestly, I didn’t know what to tell her.

I’ve had so many calls lately about homeless women on the street in Greensboro. They all need someplace to stay. I get calls from the homeless women themselves, calls from police officers, calls from homeless service providers. The shelters are full, what are the options? Well, not many that I know of.

There are women’s shelters in other towns nearby, but that’s not an option for many of these women, for various reasons. I’ve suggested to all of them that they go to the IRC, which has a housing program, but what I hear back is that unless they have an income, there’s no housing available. (Makes sense and I knew that, but I remain hopeful that someone will have housing vouchers!)

Most of the homeless women who sleep outside have a boyfriend or husband. If they weren’t with a partner when they became homeless, they find one quickly. I hear from many women that companionship and safety are very important when you live on the street. A woman living outside alone is much more vulnerable.

I’m not sure what to tell the lady who called me today. There are two tent cities within walking distance of downtown, but neither has single women living there and at both places, the residents have a voice in who joins their community, so there’s no guarantee that either will be the right fit for her. I’m not sure if she’d prefer community life or a place to herself. And it’s not always easy to find a safe, legal place to camp. (Property owners have given permission for homeless people to camp on the land where the tent cities are located.)

I’m about to go to the StreetWatch storage unit to pick up blankets and a sleeping bag and go find this lady. I still don’t know where she’ll sleep tonight. Another homeless woman sleeping outside in Greensboro. That’s messed up. We need a women’s shelter. Well, we need more shelter space for homeless people, period. But women, especially, do not need to be living outside. And women living alone on the street? That should just never, ever happen.

“Elizabeth Link, the city’s urban designer, created the landscape design for the park. Downtown Greensboro Inc. set in motion the plan to upgrade the park. Link and Ed Wolverton, president of Downtown Greensboro, were on hand for the plan’s unveiling.

Wolverton created a small task force from nearby businesses to get ideas for the design and said Wednesday that there was considerable debate over whether to include benches in the park.

They decided against it, partly because of the added cost, and because the benches would have to be stabilized in the ground, which might interfere with fiber optic cables running beneath the land.

But another reason was over concerns that homeless people would take over the benches and the park itself, making it undesirable for pedestrians. That’s a constant problem throughout downtown.”

Maybe that shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I thought Greensboro was a town known for not discriminating against people. But I guess it’s still OK to discriminate against homeless people. Here’s the thing, though. A public park is public. That means that anyone can use it. DGI is worried about pedestrians. Most homeless people are pedestrians. Homeless people have a right to sit on benches, just like anyone else.

DGI is either going to have to accept that there will always be homeless people downtown, or they need to find a way to move services elsewhere. The homeless shelters, soup kitchen, day center, mental health center, health clinic, free meal sites, library, bus depot and more are all downtown. Unless shelter and services for homeless people are moved elsewhere, there will always be homeless people downtown. And they are and will continue to be members of the public, and entitled to use any public facilities. And they shouldn’t be discriminated against. For shame, DGI.

Update: Discussion at Ed Cone’s blog.

Panhandling licenses can be obtained through the City of Greensboro Collections Division, located in Room 11 on the Upper Ground (UG) Level of the Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St. (map) Their phone number is 336-373-2501.

Who can apply for a panhandling privilege license (also called a panhandling permit) in Greensboro?

Anyone can apply. All panhandling license applications are sent to the Greensboro Police Department for a background check. This can take up to seven (7) days to complete. (For more information, see section 20-72. (c)(3) of the local ordinance, below.)

How much does a panhandling license cost?

Panhandling licenses are free.

What do I need to bring with me to obtain a panhandling license in Greensboro?

• North Carolina picture ID (driver license or ID card)
• Social Security card

Who enforces panhandling laws?

The Greensboro Police Department. Their phone number (non-emergency) is 336-373-2222.

What are the laws about panhandling?

Panhandling laws are listed below (current as of March 22, 2012) from Chapter 20 – PEDDLERS, SOLICITORS, ETC. >> ARTICLE IV. – PERSONS BEGGING OR SOLICITING ALMS FOR PERSONAL GAIN >> in the Greensboro, North Carolina, Code of Ordinances:

Sec. 20-65. – Intent.

The purpose of this article is to require the registration and permitting of street peddlers, beggars and charitable solicitors who attempt to solicit sales or contributions for their own personal gain from occupants of vehicles and pedestrians on certain streets and sidewalks within the City of Greensboro, and to thereby regulate and ensure the safety of vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow and to promote roadway safety and sidewalk safety. The provisions of this article shall not apply to bona fide members of charitable, religious, civic or fraternal organizations which are exempt from the payment of privilege licenses and who receive no compensation of any kind for their services. Those persons excluded under the provisions of article III, section 20-61(b) and (c) are excluded from the provisions of this article.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03)

Sec. 20-66. – Registration and privilege license required.

No person shall sell, or offer for goods for sale, or solicit contributions for their own personal benefit or engage in any other form of commercial speech in the City of Greensboro unless such persons have previously registered therefore and obtained the panhandler privilege license required under section 13-31 and section 13-102.1 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 04-84, § 2, 6-15-04; Ord. No. 06-119, § 1, 6-6-06)

Sec. 20-67. – Privilege license procedures.

(a) Applications for panhandler privilege licenses from individuals under this article shall be submitted to the office of the city tax collector on forms provided by the office of the city tax collector. The applicant shall submit an application and shall submit to a criminal background history check which shall be reviewed by the chief of police or his designee to determine eligibility of the applicant. Thereafter, any panhandler privilege license issued shall be valid until the end of the fiscal year in which said license was issued or for such other period as may be specified on the license certificate or until information is discovered that causes the licensee, in the opinion of the tax collector, to become disqualified. In such instances of disqualification any panhandler privilege license having been issued shall be revoked by the tax collector.

(b) Upon receipt of information or reports of violation of this article or other disqualifying events as set forth in section 20-71 or 20-72, the tax collector may refuse to issue, refuse to renew or may revoke privilege licenses as deemed necessary to safeguard the interest of the public and to carry out the purposes of this article, which are to promote public safety and convenience on the streets and sidewalks of the City of Greensboro.

(c) Any panhandler privilege license issued under this article shall be nontransferable.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 04-84, § 2, 6-15-04; Ord. No. 06-119, § 2, 6-6-06; Ord. No. 10-120, § 1, 8-17-2010)

Sec. 20-68. – Time.

Any person who begs or solicits alms for his or her own personal gain after sunset or before sunrise is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person who begs or solicits alms for his or her own personal gain in a school zone during the time of arrival of students at the beginning of the school day and/or during the time of departure of students at the end of the school day is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 04-84, § 2, 6-15-04)

Sec. 20-69. – Place.

Any person who begs or solicits alms for his or her personal gain when the person is in any of the places listed below is guilty of a misdemeanor:

(1) At any bus or train stop;

(2) In any public transportation vehicle, facility, transit stop or taxi stand;

(3) In any vehicle on the street; or

(4) On private property, unless the person has written permission from the owner of the property to beg or solicit alms on the property; or

(5) Within three hundred (300) feet of or in any public or private school property, which shall include but not be limited to primary and secondary educational facilities, job training or continuing educational facilities, or any daycare or childcare facility.

(6) On any sidewalk adjacent to a motion picture theatre, outdoor theatre or palladium, any valid licensed vendor location, or where a line of patrons has formed.

(7) Within twenty (20) feet of the entrance to any financial institution or automated teller machine, regardless of whether or not such automated teller machine is located at or near a financial institution. Financial institution as used in this section means any bank, trust company, savings and loan association, credit union, check-cashing business, any other entity principally engaged in the business of lending or receiving or soliciting money on deposit; or

(8) Within twenty (20) feet of the entrance to any commercial establishment or private residence; or

(9) In any parking, deck, garage or surface parking lot and not within twenty (20) feet of the entrance and exits of these areas and not within twenty (20) feet of any parking meter or parking kiosk; or

(10) While under the influence of alcohol or other non prescribed drug or illegal substance; or

(11) Within twenty (20) feet of the visible barricade of any outdoor café whether such café is on the public sidewalk or on private property.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 04-84, § 2, 6-15-04; Ord. No. 09-160, § 1, 9-15-09; Ord. No. 10-38, § 1, 4-6-10; Ord. No. 10-47, § 1, 5-4-10)

Sec. 20-70. – Manner.

Any person who begs or solicits alms for his or her own personal gain in any of the following manners is guilty of a misdemeanor:

(1) By coming within three (3) feet of the person being solicited, until that person has clearly indicated that he or she wants to make a donation;

(2) By blocking the path of the person being solicited along a sidewalk or street;

(3) By following the person being solicited after they have walked away;

(4) By using profane or abusive language, either during the solicitation, or following a refusal;

(5) By soliciting in a group of two (2) or more people; or

(6) By any statement, gesture, or other form of communication by which a reasonable person in the situation of the person solicited would perceive to be a threat.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03)

Sec. 20-71. – False or misleading solicitation.

(a) Any person who knowingly makes any false or misleading representation in the course of soliciting a donation or begging for alms is guilty of a misdemeanor. False or misleading representations include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Stating that the donation is needed to meet a specific need, when the solicitor already has sufficient funds to meet that need and does not disclose that fact;

(2) Stating that the donation is needed to meet a need which does not exist;

(3) Stating the solicitor is from out of town and stranded when that is not true;

(4) Wearing a military uniform or other indication of military service, when the solicitor is neither a present nor former member of the service indicated;

(5) Wearing or displaying an indication of physical or mental disability, when the solicitor does not suffer the disability indicated;

(6) Use of any makeup or device to simulate any deformity; or

(7) Stating that the solicitor is homeless, when he or she is not.

(b) Any person who solicits a donation stating that the funds are needed for a specific purpose and then spends the funds received for a different purpose is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(c) This section establishes a single offense. Evidence, which establishes that the defendant violated the section, is sufficient for conviction and need not establish which subdivision was violated.

(Ord. No. 03-81, 4-15-03)

Sec. 20-72. – Privilege license required.

(a) No person shall beg or solicit alms for personal gain without first registering and obtaining a panhandler privilege license issued by the tax department. A person who has registered and who has been issued a panhandler privilege license shall keep it displayed on his or her chest, hanging from a lanyard or clipped to their garment, so that the name, type of license and date of expiration is visible at all times while begging or soliciting alms for personal gain and shall show it to any law enforcement officer or tax collector immediately upon request. No person whose panhandler’s privilege license has been revoked shall beg or solicit alms for a period of two (2) years following the date of the revocation. Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) The city tax collector’s office shall issue a panhandler privilege license, without fee, to any eligible person (a person shall be deemed eligible once they demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the tax collector, their ability to satisfy the requirements for licensure as are spelled out in this chapter) who comes to the city tax collector’s office and presents a picture identification issued by NCDMV and one (1) other form of identification.

(c) A person is not eligible for a panhandler privilege license or renewal of a panhandler privilege license if within the most recent five-year period:

(1) The tax collector has received information from the executive officer to the chief of police that the person has two (2) or more violations of this chapter;

(2) The tax collector has received information from the executive officer to the chief of police that the person has been convicted of two (2) or more offenses under the law of any jurisdiction which involve either misdemeanor or felony assault, communicating threats, or illegal use of weapons; or

(3) The person otherwise does not qualify for a privilege license in accordance with this chapter.

(d) The panhandler privilege license shall display the essential rules and regulations of this chapter. Such rules shall serve as a compliance guide for the licensee.

(e) Any person who makes any false or misleading statement while applying for a panhandler’s privilege license under this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon receipt of information of such a violation, the tax collector shall decline to issue a privilege license to the offending applicant or shall revoke the license of the offending licensee.

(f) If a person applies for or is issued a privilege license under this chapter and the tax collector receives information that the person has violated any provision of this chapter, the tax collector shall decline to issue or shall revoke, respectively, that person’s privilege license for a period of two (2) years.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 04-84, § 2, 6-15-04; Ord. No. 06-119, § 3, 6-6-06; Ord. No. 10-120, § 2, 8-17-2010; Ord. No. 10-137, § 1, 9-7-10)

Sec. 20-73. – Violations.

Any violation of this article shall be a misdemeanor and may be enforced by any one (1) or more of the remedies authorized by the provisions of G.S. § 14-4 or G.S. § 160A-175. A police officer observing a violation of this article shall confiscate the panhandler privilege license and return it to the tax department. The licensee may appear before the tax collector and show cause, to the satisfaction of the tax collector, why the license should not be revoked.

(Ord. No. 03-81, § 1, 4-15-03; Ord. No. 06-119, § 4, 6-6-06)

# # # # #

This replaces an outdated post of the same name.

…the IRC is a lot like its neighbor, the J. Douglas Galyon Depot, connecting clients to the means to get from here to there through an impressive assortment of partner agencies.

A recent visit on a gray, rainy day revealed a full house of homeless clients, some conferring quietly with center staff, others socializing as they waited to be seen. Two huge, brightly lit Christmas trees stood in opposite corners of the reception area. On a big, white, dry-erase board was a quote for the day, which read in part, “Remember, every day is a new day.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean every day is a good day. Two clients had gotten into a shouting match that very morning. But the overall vibe at the IRC is distinctly upbeat and hopeful.

A client can get mail there, wash laundry, take a shower, get a haircut and enroll in job-hunting courses, including computer training. The center helps locate temporary shelter and permanent housing for clients. It refers those who want and need it to drug treatment and counseling.

In return, clients help take care of the IRC. They keep it clean. They report misconduct. They created many of the paintings on the IRC’s walls as well as the sculpted handles on the plate-glass front doors. What’s more, fully a third of the 2,000 weekly volunteer hours at the center are filled by homeless workers.

The new facility has been open at its permanent location on Washington Street only for eight months. But it already is making a measurable difference: 3,776 loads of laundry, 2,652 showers, 3,432 nurse visits and 121 full-time permanent jobs found since opening in May, says IRC Executive Director Liz Seymour…

>> Read all of Editorial: Bright ray of hope at News-Record.com

you don’t know my story, only bits and pieces, i treat homelessness like its my main thesis. I’ve walked in those shoes, I’ve slept on those streets, i used to be chronically homeless,and ppl looked at me like i was a disease.that was me, you used to pass on that block, tipping up that forty, to keep myself out of the cold shock.

melissa gayle

That was me freezing on those 27 below nights, that was me you prayed for, to survive throughout the night. That was me you used to serve, from that disaster unit truck, that was me you tried to comfort, in a world full of hurt. My passion is helping the homeless, my pain is seeing us fail, why cant we all get together, and take away this living hell? What happened to being christians, and helping our fellow man? What happened to coming together, to share with the whole world Gods plan? How many more ppl will die on our streets, strickended below poverty? They suffer everyday, they are the face of homelessness. They walk in those worn out shoes. Will they survive? Or die? U choose.

Melissa Gayle gave a spoken word performance of “my story” on December 21, 2011 at a memorial service at Grace Community Church, commemorating National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day 2011.

image credit: Matt from London on Flickr

Each year since 1990, on December 21st, which is on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has sponsored National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. This is a time to remember our homeless friends who have died while experiencing homelessness and an opportunity to bring attention to the ongoing reality and tragedy of homelessness in our nation.

Communities across the nation hold events to commemorate National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Here are some events in Greensboro on Wednesday, December 21st that you can be involved in:

NHPMD 2009

Flying Signs:

Update: Sign flying is canceled.   This takes a lot of planning, and the forecast still says rain, so we’ve decided to go ahead and call this one off and focus on the later activities instead. Weather permitting*, members of the StreetWatch homeless outreach team and friends will hold informational signs at major intersections in Greensboro during the morning and afternoon on December 21. If you’d like to join us, please contact me here.

Memorial Walk

• Begins at 4:45pm at the Interactive Resource Center at 407 E. Washington St. and continues on to S. Elm St. and then to W. Lee St.
• Ends at Grace Community Church at 643 W. Lee St.

View Route for Homeless Memorial Walk in a larger map

Memorial Service

The memorial service will be held at Grace Community Church, 643 W. Lee St., at 6:15pm. Grace’s weekly Wednesday Community Fellowship Dinner for the homeless and hungry will follow the service.