Linda, Kenneth, Sharon, Victoria, Boyd, Wayne, Johnny, Vernon and "unknown"

December 21st is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Locally, AmeriCorps Partnership to End Homelessness sponsored the Greensboro Homeless Memorial Walk from the Interactive Resource Center on East Washington Street to Grace Community Church on West Lee Street, where a Memorial Service was held at 6:15pm.

On the stage were a row of empty chairs with the names of those who died homeless in Greensboro in 2011 — Linda, Kenneth, Sharon, Victoria, Boyd, Wayne, Johnny, Vernon — along with a chair marked “unknown”, representing others we may not have known about. The empty chairs represent the dinner guests who are no longer with us there at the Wednesday night meal, but who we remember and honor at this yearly service.

Mayor Perkins, accompanied by Councilwoman Abuzuaiter, reads the proclamation.

Mayor Robbie Perkins, accompanied on the podium at Grace by City Council Member Marikay Abuzuaiter, read a proclamation declaring the day Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in Greensboro. Both Mayor Perkins and Mrs. Abuzuaiter participated in the earlier Memorial Walk, as well. The service included music; the story, in poetry, of formerly-homeless outreach worker Melissa Gayle; and a message by Grace’s Shepherding Pastor Will Dungee. Following the memorial service, Grace’s weekly Community Fellowship Dinner was served to 200+ homeless and hungry guests.

His texts:

Work has started on the Greenway here. What a transformation in less than 24 hours.

Trees’re gone. All chipped up. Big pile of wood chips.

I had hoped that they would save the large trees and not clear cut. I hoped they would be saved to enhance shade along the path.

Me, too. My friends and I have taken lots of photos there. I’m glad we did. It’s history now.

Coming soon: Photos of the same site minus the trees.

The new location was tentatively scheduled to open about six months later, in the fall of 2009, but lack of funds delayed opening. Fundraising efforts have continued over the past two years — homeless guests who regularly use the services of the IRC participated in many of those events  – and the day center has also received significant City and County funding. Construction inside the new location is moving along now, and the new IRC should be completed this month and open in April 2011.

Here are some photos of the interior re-construction:

photos courtesy of the IRC; used with permission

» Visit the IRC online: Facebook, Twitter, web site
» Donate online now to support the work of the IRC and “make an immediate difference in the lives of the homeless and poor in Guilford County.”

In an effort to serve more homeless and hungry people, the group eventually moved to a stationary location in downtown Greensboro, and now, as Greensboro Burrito Bikers nears its one-year anniversary, Holderness and a team of volunteers are feeding 40-50 people on Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. on the sidewalk outside of Center City Park at the intersection of Friendly Avenue and Davie Street.  (Update from Hayes: Burrito Bikers fed 65+ people on Saturday, October 23rd!)

Holderness was inspired to begin this feeding ministry after riding along with his brother Tommy’s Burrito Bikers group in Charlotte. After his niece rode with the Greensboro group this past winter, she started a Burrito Bikers group in Chapel Hill, and they’re already making news (here and here).

As Greensboro Burrito Bikers continues to grow and serve more homeless people, they welcome and need volunteers and donors.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Making breakfast burritos (can be made during the week and frozen)
• Coming out on Saturday mornings to serve and spend time with homeless and hungry breakfast guests

Donate breakfast items:

• Breakfast burritos (or other filling main item, such as breakfast sandwiches/biscuits with eggs and/or meat)
• Bottled water
• Coffee, cups, sugar, creamer
• Bananas
• Snack crackers
• Financial donations (costs about $50 to serve 40 people)

To learn more about Greensboro Burrito Bikers, and how to volunteer and donate, visit their web site and join them on Facebook.

Update — Photos I took when I hung out with Burrito Bikers on 08/28/2010:

Crack Cocaine (image source: DEA)

Addiction develops much more rapidly with cocaine than alcohol, often within a few weeks or months, and especially when smoked as freebase (crack). Thus, the dynamics of cocaine addiction are different from those of alcoholism, including its impact on the individual and the family. Cocaine addiction can be likened to a rapid-onset trauma that stuns its victims, compared with alcoholism, which progressively and insidiously debilitates the drinker over a much longer period. The cocaine-affected family is less likely to show the deeply ingrained systemic aberrations and codependent relationships so commonly seen in alcoholic families.

~ from “Outpatient Treatment of Cocaine and Crack Addiction: A Clinical Perspective,” by Arnold M. Washton and Nannatte Stone-Washton (PDF)

My minister partner Audrie reminded me that Jesus was born in a barn, because there was no room for him in the inn. And soon after, his family had to flee because a ruler wanted him gone, too.

Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the “least of these,” we are doing for Him. Indeed. Yesterday, Jesus got kicked out of a barn in Guilford County, and I have no idea where he slept last night.

Update: Good news! A persistent sheriff’s deputy found a place for this gentleman to stay last night. Still, his homelessness has not ended and the issues that led him to that barn have not been resolved, so there is  more work to do for him and so many other homeless people in our community.  Homelessness is a huge problem, but it’s also always a symptom of other problems. To end homelessness, we have to address the problems that leave people homeless.

There are about 15 men living in that area, and two women.  Meet some of the homeless people we saw today: Cotton, Keith, Mark, Manuel, Yeung.

» View a list of items they currently need, and donate if you’re able.

Here a few pictures from the cleanup:

[nggallery id=10]

image credit: Joseph Rodriguez, News & Record

No injuries were reported when a fire broke out in a trailer today.

The fire was reported about 12:20 p.m. Monday in an empty mobile home at 1727 W. Lee St., about a block east of the Greensboro Coliseum.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

NightWatch has visited that trailer many times over the past few years, and we’ve taken food, blankets and hygiene bags to the homeless people who’ve stayed there. As far as I know, there was no water/sewer or power, but it’s a decent-sized trailer, and a secure roof over your head for whoever was there at the time.  The last time I went by there was last summer. I don’t know if anyone had been staying there recently, but with the big increase in homeless people on the street in the past year, I’d really be surprised if no one was sleeping there.  And if someone was, they’ve lost their spot.  And probably all their stuff, too.

» Previously:  On 04/08/2009, there was another fire in a building where homeless people slept.

photo credit: irrezolut

From an instant message conversation with my best friend and ministry partner, Audrie Keen, thinking about yesterday when we were at the Salvation Army store, loading the truck for NightWatch, street outreach to the homeless:

Here’s a good moment: Yesterday when I left the Army, my hands were filthy. Like black. I couldn’t wash my hands because a guy was in the bathroom. I didn’t have time to wash them. So I went home with them nasty. Then I looked down at my hands while I was driving home. And my first thought was, “These are the hands of Jesus. His hands were dirty.”

I love you, Audrie.

LORD, give us clean hands and a pure heart, but keep us always ready to get those hands dirty as we serve others as the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.  Thank you for that privilege, Father God. Amen.