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StreetWatch, NightWatch & Americorps are hitting the streets together in the Salvation Army truck to help the homeless now!

Who wants to make a BIG pot of soup or chili for NightWatch street outreach tonight? PLEASE.

“Greensboro Urban Ministry, NightWatch, StreetWatch – wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t survive.” – Yong, homeless, lives in a tent downtown

DayWatch, October 2008; image credit: Michele Forrest

There will be a DayWatch event for the homeless and hungry on Saturday, November 21, 2009,  outside by the downtown library. A hot meal will be served to guests around 5:00 p.m., and volunteers will distribute clothing, blankets, hats, gloves, socks, hygiene kits and snack bags. Pastors from Mosaic Church will offer a message.

Read more on DayWatch for the hungry and homeless: Saturday, 11/21/2009…

Jimmy is 69 years old. He’s worked all his life, and is a military veteran, but now, at retirement age, he is living in a tent in the woods.

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Read more on Video: Jimmy, homeless in Greensboro…

Church & lunch w/a friend from NightWatch & three friends from the Freeman Mill camp, who are staying at her place now. Such a good Sunday!

GPD patted Jeff down & ran his ID when NightWatch was at a homeless camp in the Salvation Army truck. Haha! Good times.

Added note: This is just unintentionally hilarious to me. Jeff Phillips is one of the leaders of NightWatch, and was the team leader and driver on the night this happened. He was right by the big huge Salvation Army mobile kitchen. Hard not to notice that he was there representing the Salvation Army. And yet, he got patted down and checked out anyway. A lot of the times that I go to this camp, I go with cops. They are so helpful to us in doing street outreach. My picture was in the paper recently with one of the cops who brought boots down to the camp for the guys. But the ranking cop on this night apparently either doesn’t know who NightWatch is or isn’t a fan. I found it ironic and funny. Why was I not there for the fun stuff???

Read more on GPD patted Jeff down & ran his……

Made hygiene kits for homeless for tonite’s NightWatch; out of deodorant & toothpaste; have soap & shampoo; at least they’ll have clean hair

Got supplies 4 homeless day ctr from NightWatch storage at SA store; at Grace 2 get more from StreetWatch storage; to donate call 332.0824

Note:  Didn’t get things I asked for here.  Just things we already had donated to us — toiletries, razors, plastic wrap, towels, etc.  Still need these other things.

Read more on Got supplies 4 homeless day ct……

“Taser the homeless.”

Word is spreading about that disturbing suggestion, which came from an unidentified woman who owns or works for a business on South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro.  She attended a problem-solving meeting on May 18th with District 3 Council rep Zack Matheny and City staff, to discuss parking-related issues in the 300 block of South Elm Street.

Read more on So you heard about the chick who wants to taser the homeless downtown?…

• is at the IRC (homeless day center), about to attend a board meeting. #
• Dropped off stuff at Salvation Army for tonite’s NightWatch; Deb’s taking a new team out to do street outreach; I’m praying for them now #

Read more on Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-31…

image credit: Amanda Visell (click image for link to buy t-shirt)

On this year’s homeless count, Greensboro Police Sergeant C.T. Blaylock and volunteer counters visited a downtown Greensboro bridge whose residents included a homeless man and his three legged-cat.   Blaylock, who frequently assists homeless people, later called me to ask if I had any veterinary contacts who might provide a check-up and immunizations for the cat.  I called a friend who’s friends with a vet, but didn’t hear back, and after seeing the homeless friend at a Food Not Bombs dinner later, made a mental note to find someone else who knew a vet.

Read more on How a cop and social networking helped a homeless man and his three-legged cat…