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From Partners Ending Homelessness:

Partners Ending Homelessness will sponsor the 1st Annual Furnish a Dream Furniture Drive in partnership with the Agents of Grace, Old Dominion Freight Company, Home to Home, and Barnabas Network. The two day event will kick-off on Saturday, August 22, 2009 in the parking lot of 200 Steele located at the Corner of E. Kivett Dr. and N. Centennial St. in High Point. The following Saturday, August 29th the furniture drive will be held in conjunction with Agents of Grace’s day of service  which will be held at Grimsley High School located at 801 Westover Terrace in Greensboro.

Read more on 1st Annual Furnish a Dream Furniture Drive…

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“Habitat On Wheels (HOW) is an ongoing effort by Mobile Loaves & Fishes to effectively confront homelessness in Austin (Texas). HOW gets people off the street by providing them with recreational vehicle housing and the support they need to improve their circumstance.  This solution not only provides participants with housing, but also with a supportive community that is dedicated to helping them effect positive change in their lives.”

» More here: www.mlfnow.org/how.

Read more on Video: RV parks provide supportive housing in Austin…

City can apply for $781K (over 3 yrs) in rapid rehousing funds from stimulus money; for new/event-driven homelessness; more stim $$ to come.

More, 04/09/09, 10:30AM: I’m currently in a meeting of the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County — hpcgc.org. I’ll post details later, but this funding would be very helpful in preventing people from becoming homeless (paying outstanding rent and utilities) and in rapidly rehousing the newly homeless. Susan Crotts from the City of Greensboro is here speaking to us about this funding. She expects more stimulus funding to come to our community for homelessness.

Read more on City can apply for $781K (over……

Sitting on porch of friend I’ve known 10 yrs; homeless until Nov 2007; “How do you like your new place?” “I’m getting used to it.” Nice.

Updated, with photos:

Home at last

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Things we take for granted: our own sink, toilet and shower.

Read more on Sitting on porch of friend I’v……

Question: “Can a home save the homeless?” That’s the title of Amanda Lehmert’s 11/16/2008 News & Record article on the housing support team program — an initiative to move chronically homeless people from the street into housing.

Read more on Answer: It takes more than a home……

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 program, they were promised supportive services, such as treatment for addiction disorders and mental illness, and they are supposed to have the help and assistance of “enhanced providers” in obtaining needed services.  But that has not been the reality for many of my friends, and they have suffered as a result.

Read more on Article exposes problems with homeless housing initiative…

Random thoughts and updates for this week:

1.) I’m very thankful for the “housing first” initiative that is moving chronically homeless people from the street to permanent housing, but… I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the all-too-frequent staff and program changes among community support providers, as well as the limitations of available mental health services. (I know — money, money, money — but still…) Giving chronically homeless people an apartment is great, but being homeless isn’t the root problem — it’s a symptom of other problems. How do we define “success?” More homeless people in apartments than on the streets? Or more lives transformed? (I know how I define it…)

Read more on July 10th news update: homelessness, day center, cops and more…

In an ideal world, we’d all do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. But this is the real world, and sometimes people need incentives. Jehan Benton, director of Guilford County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, talks to the N&R’s Joe Killian:

Read more on Making an economic case for housing the homeless…

From Mike Aiken, executive director, Greensboro Urban Ministry:

The Greensboro Urban Ministry Board of Directors approved the start-up of a new program, Beyond Pathways, and the establishment of a new fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, thanks to the receipt of a nearly $1 million bequest from the estate of Nancy Richmond Hudson.

Read more on Greensboro Urban Ministry to begin housing program for homeless families thanks to $1 million bequest…

Giving homeless people housing ends homelessness, but it’s just the beginning of the answer to the crisis of homelessness, because homelessness is not the real problem, it’s just a symptom of the problems that land people on the street.

Read more on Housing ends homelessness, but then what?…

From an email conversation with Mike Aiken, executive director of Greensboro Urban Ministry:

“GUM is exploring the feasibility of establishing a Housing First for Homeless Families to help with the long waiting list of families at Pathways… [and] looking for other agency partners as well. As we all know, we must work together to end homelessness.”*

Read more on Greensboro Urban Ministry explores Housing First for families in Greensboro…

Greensboro City Council members Goldie Wells and Dianne Bellamy-Small

Read more on Mayor and Council members dine with homeless before CRB meeting…