A friend contacted me yesterday to tell me that police were no longer allowing people to stand on “the block,” a well-known and long-time gathering spot at the corner of Lee and Eugene Streets near the homeless shelter, soup kitchen and health clinic. Traditionally, most of the people who stood … > read more
From the News & Record A 44-year-old man leaving the Bessemer Curb Market was beaten and robbed by two men Saturday, police said. About 5:25 p.m., Anthony Brooks was leaving the store at 925 E. Bessemer Ave. when two men approached him, according to Greensboro police. The men then attacked … > read more
From a friend to me, on Facebook: “I have 2 stories for you tonight. one. A man got beat up last night at Urban Ministries by three kids who live down in Saint James.(he didnt know what hit him or who did it cause he was intoxicated.) The second thing … > read more
03/15/2008: “The cold weather shelter programs at both homeless shelters ended yesterday…” Every year, Greensboro Urban Ministry and Salvation Army open winter emergency overflow programs, in addition to their year-round shelter beds, to keep homeless people from freezing to death sleeping outside. And every year, those winter shelter programs close … > read more
Surveilling the homeless: What will the City of Greensboro think of next? From a formerly homeless friend’s Facebook wall: “FREE PHOTO SHOOT-care to have your picture taken? -As of yesterday a new camera was put on the block. UNDER SURVEILLANCE-hmm… the block has been put on surveillance. There is a … > read more
According to the 2009 point in time count of the homeless in Guilford County, conducted by the Homeless Prevention Coalition (HPCGC) on January 28th, there were 130 unsheltered people in the county, only 26 of whom are chronically homeless. Keep in mind that those numbers include both Greensboro and High … > read more
I’ve been writing about local efforts to come up with additional emergency winter shelter, and about the increase in requests for assistance and decline in giving. Today’s News & Record features front-page, above-the-fold coverage of both those issues. “Requests for help rise as non-profits struggle:” (PDF) Some agencies have seen … > read more
Today I saw a woman pushing a stroller down Lee Street, not far from the shelter. It was loaded with bags and belongings in the back, and a baby sat in the front. A tiny toddler walked beside the stroller. On “the block” at Lee and Eugene, in front of … > read more
Homeless people often have everything they own in their backpacks. These backpacks were stashed near where some of my homeless friends were reading or using computers at the library yesterday afternoon. From my on-the-street perspective, it certainly appears that hunger and homelessness are increasing in Greensboro. There are more and … > read more
In early August, I met with Andy Scott, director of the City’s department of Housing and Community Development, and members of his staff, to discuss how the City’s plans to buy the Coliseum Inn would affect the low-income and homeless people who stay there. Street outreach teams from NightWatch and … > read more