An Average Day at Greensboro Urban Ministry…

• Potter’s House Community Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and supper to more than 600 people each day.
• The Food Bank distributes emergency food orders to 30-50 families and provides 20 non-profits with hundreds of pounds of food.
• The Emergency Assistance Program helps prevent homelessness by assisting 180 people with rent, mortgage, utility bills, clothing and food.
• Partnership Village provides 68 transitional apartments with support services to formerly homeless families and individuals working toward self-sufficiency.
• Weaver House provides safe, secure emergency housing for 100 homeless adults. WE! (Winter Emergency) Program helps provide shelter for an additional 100 homeless men and women in the winter at several satellite locations.
• Pathways Center provides emergency housing for 16 homeless families. And Beyond Pathways, our Housing First program, rapidly rehouses 20 homeless families from the emergency shelter. Both programs provide extensive support services leading to permanent, stable housing.
• Volunteer Services has 123 actively involved volunteers giving freely of their time by preparing meals, interviewing clients, and performing various other activities.
• The Chaplaincy Program ensures that 70 guests, staff and volunteers receive spiritual food.

The Madeline B. McElveen Child Development Center provides quality childcare for the 160 children, ranging in age from toddlers on up, who live in the Partnership Village neighborhood.

» Visit Greensboro Urban Ministry’s web site for details on these ministries, to find out how to donate and volunteer, and to learn about current fundraising events that you can attend. Also, join Greensboro Urban Ministry on Facebook.

Some demographics about those who stayed in Greensboro’s  winter homeless shelters this year:

• 55 women
• 150 men

• 13% age 18-30 years (youngest 18)
• 72% age 31-55 years
• 15% 56 years or older (oldest 67)

• 75% black
• 21% white
• 5% other

• 25% chronically homeless (unaccompanied disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for over one year)
• 11% veterans (23)

• 56% cited unemployment as the cause of their homelessness

The men’s winter shelter locations (# of people sheltered):

• First Presbyterian Church (20)
• Pleasant Garden Baptist Church (20)
• West Market Street Methodist Church (15)
• Mt. Zion Baptist Church (15)
• FaithStep Ministries (11)

The women’s winter shelter locations (# of people sheltered):

• Grace Community Church (15)
• First Baptist Church (10)

» Read more about the operation of the shelters in “Press Release, Report on 2009-10 Greensboro Urban Ministry Winter Emergency (WE) Shelters”

Vincent Sims used to sleep under the Lee Street bridge. He spent some of his Social Security money on drugs and booze. Banned from city shelters for schizophrenia- and drug-fueled outbursts, he sometimes got arrested just to have a warm, safe place to spend a few hours. And when he got out of jail, he’d go right back to sleeping by the train tracks or in abandoned buildings. Then one day last year, the Rev. Mike Aiken approached him with an offer: a no-strings-attached apartment through a new Guilford County program…

I met Vincent years ago. He is one of dozens of my friends who has moved off the street and into a home in the past year through the new housing program.

…The housing support team, a partnership between Family Service of the Piedmont, the Greensboro Housing Coalition and Open Door Ministries with help from local social service agencies, started searching for homeless residents in mid-2007.

“They had to be someone who is cycling through the system a lot,” said Mitch McGee, the housing support team coordinator. “In and out of jail, in and out of the hospital.”

Folks who continue to live on the street no matter how many times police pick them up or nonprofits feed them a hot meal. Folks like Reid James.

In the summer of 2006, James, a 47-year-old who suffers from bipolar disorder and depression, ran out of friends willing to take her in….

» Read “Can a home save the homeless?,” online at the News & Record
» Printable PDF of article
» See a slideshow of Vincent’s photos here.

Reporter Amanda Lehmert doesn’t address the program’s major flaw — serious problems with the availability and delivery of supportive services — a fundamental component of the program, and a necessity for the long-term success of the program’s participants.  YES! Weekly’s Jordan Green reported on that issue earlier in his 09/24/2008 article, “Formerly homeless clients find services lacking.”  Jordan interviewed some of the same folks that Amanda did, and my friend Reid James is featured in both newspaper’s articles.

I’d suggest reading both articles to get a fuller perspective on the housing support program — the good and the not-so-good.  I’m thankful for the program, but I want to see all the supportive services issues addressed so that our friends can truly experience recovery, health and wholeness.  Housing alone will not end homelessness.

I would like to thank YES! Weekly’s Jordan Green for his article, “Formerly homeless clients find services lacking,” an honest and in-depth account of the serious and troubling issues with the “enhanced providers” contracted by Guilford Center to provide services for clients of the housing support program — including failure to provide contracted services.  Jordan’s article discusses audits, failure rates, deficiencies, corrective action plans, Medicaid/Medicare payment abuse, and more.  Until now, I haven’t seen anything in the media about the enhanced provider issues.  I appreciate YES! Weekly’s attention to this story.

» Read it here.

***Let me be clear: My friends and I have nothing but praise for the housing support team (Mitch and his staff) who are responsible for the housing piece — literally moving our friends from the street into their new homes. And they do so much more than that — stepping in to try to fill the gaps as much as possible, and seeming to work 24/7. God bless them all. Mitch is universally loved and appreciated. All of the issues that I’m aware of have been with the enhanced service providers. Read Jordan’s article to find out more about that.

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…)

2.) We had another day center meeting today. There’s some exciting, forward movement involving players and places, some of which was revealed in the meeting today, but none of which I think I’m supposed to write about yet, so that’s all I’ll say about that for now. I hope to see more involvement from currently and formerly homeless people at future meetings, and I spoke up about that. (I know! Imagine ME speaking up… )

The desire of the homeless folks and homeless advocates that I’ve spoken to is to have currently and formerly homeless people be directly engaged in planning and running the day center. (Repairers of the Breach is a model of this kind of day center.) We can have bureaucracy or we can build community, but I don’t think we can do both. I’m going to keep advocating for and working toward community. (And I have some kindred spirits in that effort.)

P.S. It was a lunch meeting, and the leftovers (BBQ and chicken) went to Food Not Bombs for tonight’s dinner at St. Mary’s. That’s usually a vegan meal, and I have some friends who were no doubt happily surprised. (No offense, vegans. I don’t do BBQ or fried chicken, either.)

3.) After the day center meeting, I went downtown to see some of the bike cops from GPD’s Center City Resource Team. One had called to tell me about the death of a homeless man whose camp I first visited with police officers during a homeless count. (Very sad. I hope to share more soon.) Another had called to ask me to meet with a homeless man who just got out of jail and wants help so that he doesn’t end up back behind bars. (Please pray for him!) In the few minutes that I stood outside talking to the officers, I counted more than half a dozen homeless friends walking by or sitting on benches along Elm Street. Hopefully, I’ll soon be seeing them at a day center. And instead of sitting around or walking aimlessly, they can become active participants in a life-transforming community.

4.) A group of high schoolers from Westover Church went out and did street outreach today. They did a water distribution in the downtown/Lee Street area where our homeless friends hang out. I wasn’t able to ride along this time , but I heard through the grapevine that their efforts were much appreciated.

» Read about their previous outreach.

“You can break it down where you end up spending $20,000 in public resources on one person, with no change. They’re right where they were when you started. Or you can spend $10,000 and they’re in a home, they have services and they’re not using thousands or tens of thousands in public resources.”

Jehan also discusses education, job training, stereotypes, and more. Read the whole article here.

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.

“Nancy Hudson had a passion to share God’s love with the poor and needy. What a wonderful way to make sure that her commitment to help others will continue forever through the establishment of the Nancy Richmond Hudson Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. This Fund will provide start-up funding for Beyond Pathways and will support Urban Ministry programs for years to come,” commented Rev. Mike Aiken, Executive Director, Greensboro Urban Ministry.

Nancy Hudson retired from the U.S. State Department, returned to Greensboro, and was an active volunteer and supporter of Greensboro Urban Ministry until her death on August 18, 2006. At an earlier time she made a gift to Greensboro Urban Ministry in memory of her late mother, Sue Richmond Hudson, and her late father, Dr. C. C. Hudson, a former Director of Public Health in Greensboro.

The homeless family waiting list at Greensboro Urban Ministry’s Pathways Center has been steadily growing. In 2007, 248 families applied for shelter at Pathways – a 10% increase over 2006. Only sixty-six of those families were able to be housed. Their average length of stay was 101 days. The average length of time on the waiting list was around seven weeks. During the summer months, as many as forty families were on the waiting list.

In order to better address these growing numbers of homeless families on our waiting list, Urban Ministry is developing a Housing First for Families program: Beyond Pathways. Beyond Pathways was conceived at Urban Ministry’s Futures Conference, held last fall at First Lutheran Church. Tying into the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, the program will emphasize moving families into housing quickly and providing case management and support in order to prevent homelessness in the future.

The goal will be to case manage up to 20 families at any one time and serve from 40 to 60 additional families in a year.

Some families will be able to move out of Pathways with minimal financial assistance for example, a security deposit and first month’s rent. Others need slightly more assistance- perhaps a short-term subsidy that helps families pay for housing for several months or a shallow subsidy of $100 to $300 that lasts for up to a year. This short-term assistance will be coupled with intensive services designed to help the family increase their income so they will be able to continue to pay for housing after the subsidy ends.

[emphasis mine]

My response? PRAISE THE LORD! This is amazing and wonderful news for GUM and for soon-to-NOT-be homeless families in Greensboro! Nancy Hudson demonstrated God’s heart for the poor with hands-on service during her lifetime and a financial legacy of love that will have an impact an others for years to come. What a blessing! I thank God for Nancy Hudson’s gift, and for GUM’s commitment to care for the “least of these” (Matt 25:31-40) and “to bring the homeless poor into the house” (Isaiah 58:6-7.)

Update: The News & Record’s story, 06/26/08.

Recently, a number of my chronically homeless friends have moved from homelessness to housing, and that hasn’t been an easy transition. Although they are grateful to be off the street, they continue to struggle with mental health problems, substance abuse issues, and the difficulties of living in relationship to others.

Here’s what some of them have to say:

“I can’t sleep inside.”

“My apartment echoes. My tent didn’t.”

“I used to have my own place, just like this. One day I walked away from it. This is making me remember why I left.”

“Sometimes it feels like the walls of my room are closing in on me.”

“There’s people all around me, on the other side of the wall, every time I open my door. On the street, I could just walk away — get away from people. I can’t do that here.”

“This is hard to get used to. You get adjusted to surviving on the street.”

All of my friends are receiving services to help them with the mental health, substance abuse and relational issues they’re struggling with. And they all have supportive friends who care about them and are involved in their lives. I’m thankful for the housing first program that moved them off the street. Housing may end homelessness. But the real work of rebuilding lives has just begun.

“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.”*

This is exciting news and I hope that other providers and funders will step up and join Mike and his board and staff as they explore the possibility of doing Housing First for families in Greensboro. It’s very much needed and Mike has the vision and the heart to get this done. Go, Mike!

Mike pointed me to the video “Keys: Ending Family Homelessness” on the web site of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Check it out.

Note: The video link doesn’t work for me in Firefox. Try this link for FF instead.

P.S. What is Housing First?

“Housing First is an approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing homeless people with housing quickly and then providing services as needed…” keep reading »

*Posted with permission from Mike Aiken.

I heard one of our dinner guests say to another, “That’s Greensboro’s mayor, right there,” pointing out Yvonne Johnson, one table over. “Where?,” his friend asked, skeptically. “Right there,” I said. “It’s really her. And there are two Council members over there.” He smiled and seemed pleased that they were there. I was pleased, too. I really respect and appreciate Yvonne, Goldie and Dianne for their consistent compassion and service to our homeless and low-income friends in the community.

After the dinner, representatives from the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County met with the mayor, Wells, Bellamy-Small and the CRB to discuss homeless programs which receive funding from the City. (All nine Council members were invited to attend the dinner and the meeting.) I got permission to sit in, and I took a few notes.

At the meeting, HPCGC reps emphasized the importance of emergency assistance funding in preventing homelessness and the potential of housing first programs to end chronic homelessness. Dianne Bellamy-Small suggested using technology to make applying for services easier for homeless and low-income people — for example, sharing application data between agencies so that clients don’t have to visit multiple agencies to fill out eligibility forms, and putting forms online. Dianne also mentioned that she is “working with some of the major players to set up a meeting” to talk about a day center. That is great news — and I look forward to hearing more!

P.S. This is the second time in a month that Mayor Johnson has dined with homeless folks. She also attended a Winter Series dinner at the downtown library in January. Having a mayor share informal dinners and discussions with homeless folks is very cool.