I was talking to someone recently about employment and housing. How do you know the minimum hourly wage that you need to earn and what amount should you expect to pay for rent? Here are some links for Living Wage (the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support … > read more
US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $1.47 billion in renewal funding to more than 7,100 local homeless programs across the country. Homeless service providers in Guilford County will receive $1.5 million. Guilford County HUD funding recipients: Alcohol and Drug Services of Guilford, Inc.; High Point; Project Home Front; … > read more
Doing street outreach the past couple of weeks at homeless camps in Greensboro (and at a tent city with multiple homeless camps), I’ve seen long-familiar faces and lots of new faces. I’ve seen homeless camps spring back up in places that had emptied out for a while. I’ve seen homeless … > read more
From Fox8: The Greensboro Housing Authority has had its maintenance budget cut for the first time in its history. Congressional budget cuts have taken $1 million out of the budget, which is 25 percent of the entire maintenance budget, said Don House, chief operating officer for the Greensboro Housing Authority. … > read more
A Circle of Protection: A statement on why we need to protect programs for the poor, signed by more than 50 Christian leaders — Evangelical, Roman Catholic, mainline Protestants, African-American, and Latino: In the face of historic deficits, the nation faces unavoidable choices about how to balance needs and resources … > read more
From the National Low Income Housing Coalition, “Out of Reach 2010″: In Greensboro-High Point HMFA [HUD Metro FMR Area], the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $703. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a … > read more
We got an email through the StreetWatch web site asking for housing suggestions for a homeless family in Greensboro. I thought I’d share my answer here, too. Maybe it will help someone. Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network: family shelter and housing assistance program — click here for website Pathways Center & … > read more
A recently released GAO report, “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue,” reveals costly fragmentation and overlap in federal homeless programs. Taxpayers are currently spending billions of dollars on these programs — including “ending homelessness” programs — and yet, homelessness is actually increasing … > read more
 I just got off the phone with Mark. He started his new job earlier this week and moved into his apartment today. When Audrie and I met him while doing StreetWatch in 2009, Mark was living in a homeless camp. He eventually left the camp and had several different … > read more
HUD recently awarded renewal funds for existing homeless programs as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Continuum of Care Grants. Homeless service providers in Guilford County received a total of $1,449,318 — a modest increase of $8,244 overall from 2009. Most homeless service providers received the same funding as last … > read more