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PRESS RELEASE

Jehan Benton-Clark
For Immediate Release
336.553.2715 (O)
336.215.1295 (M)
Jehan@PartnersEndingHomelessness.org

State of Homelessness in Guilford County

Guilford County, NC—March 22, 2010– Homelessness has become a national issue of significant proportion with over 300 cities and counties across the country implementing plans to address this human tragedy.  In Guilford County, the Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative focuses on actively implementing, evaluating and updating Guilford County’s Ten Year Plan which is aimed at improving the quality of life for all residents of Guilford County by ending chronic homelessness and reducing all types of homelessness by 2016. The Partners Ending Homelessness Initiative focuses on generating housing and strengthening prevention & supportive services.
Read more on State of Homelessness in Guilford County: March 2010…

Read more on State of Homelessness in Guilford County: March 2010…

The Myrtle Beach City Council has placed serious restrictions on group that feed the homeless in city (public) parks.  Church groups are currently feeding the homeless and hungry in obedience to their faith — weekly in one park and monthly in another.  A new ordinance will require them to obtain a permit and restrict feedings to four times per year.  The ordinance is a response to  neighbors’ complaints, such as perceived safety issues for children  in the park, and crimes alleged to have been committed by some of the homeless people in the parks.  But those who serve the homeless point out that children are among those being fed (children and families are homeless, too), and that homeless people will be in the parks whether meals are served or not.

Read more on Myrtle Beach restricts church groups from feeding homeless people in public parks…

On Friday night, May 15th, hundreds of area youth are expected to sleep outside at Grace Community Church on Lee Street to raise awareness of homelessness, in an event sponsored by New Jerusalem Cathedral (see video). They will sleep in safety, protected by Greensboro police officers, on the same grounds that church leaders voted to post with “no trespassing” signs last year, in response to large numbers of homeless people sleeping on the property.  Irony.   (Grace also housed dozens of women inside this year, in a winter emergency shelter.)

Read more on Awareness-raising teens to sleep outside where homeless can’t…

Photo credit: Mark Horvath

“Hardly Normal at Prado Day Center,” a story in photos and words.

“The Prado Day Center is the only day center serving the homeless population in the region.  Every day, between 90 to 120 people seek refuge and assistance at the Center. Over 30 percent of the Center’s participants are now women and children…”

» See the photo story here

Read more on “Children should never be homeless…”…

I saw one of our homeless lady friends at breakfast this morning.  She sleeps outside.  I noticed right away that she looked really peaceful and beautiful this morning.  She struggles with addiction, and that battle is usually evident in her appearance.  But not today.  I went to hug her and tell her how pretty she looked.  She told me that she woke up at about 3:00 a.m. and felt like she needed to read the Word.

Read more on God speaks to my homeless friend in the quiet of the night…

Vegetable crates and construction materials are stacked behind the recycling and trash cans beside the back porch at the HIVE. The basketball court is just a few feet away. Sometime this weekend, some of the neighborhood kids came by to play basketball, and noticed some long, thin PVC pipes lying along the back wall in this area.

Read more on From mayhem to redemption…

Via email, from Partnering to End Chronic Homelessness:

The United Way of Greater High Point, is holding their Annual Toy Drive for Homeless and Foster Care children. Financial and toy donations should be sent or delivered to the United Way of Greater High Point office, located at 201 Church Street in High Point, or the management office at Oak Hollow Mall by August 31st.

Your gift will make a difference in the lives of homeless children and those living in foster care and shelters throughout Guilford County. Thank you for helping us help them.

Read more on Donate toys for homeless kids in High Point…

“This is not a sad story, this is a fairy tale. You better know it.”

[video link]

Joseph’s House is saving our sons from the street. Visit Joseph’s House online. Donate online to support the work of Joseph’s House, and help Miss Nancy save our sons and daughters.

Read more on Joseph’s House: Saving our sons from the street…

Last night, Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson brought a group of County service providers to meet with about 100 homeless Greensboro residents at Grace Community Church. This was a follow-up to a meeting Gibson arranged last week between County staff and a smaller group of homeless folks as part of the Winter Series, co-sponsored by Food Not Bombs and the public library. Representatives from Public Health, Mental Health, DSS, Veterans Services and Moses Cone were at the meeting to hear concerns and answer questions.

Read more on County continues Commissioner-led dialogue with the homeless…

The Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County has released totals from its annual Point in Time Count of the homeless, conducted last month. The total number of homeless people counted in the county was 981, which was 33 less than last year’s count of 1014. But there was a dramatic drop in the count of unsheltered homeless people.

Read more on Guilford County’s 2008 homeless count shows drop in number of unsheltered homeless people…

Young people fighting in school, dropping out of school or joining gangs and committing crimes are a frequent topic of discussion in local media and public forums. There’s a lot of talk about increasing programs for youth, like parks and rec, and getting the “faith community” involved. While I agree that it’s a great idea to increase positive, productive activities for young people, I don’t agree that it’s the answer, because it’s addressing the symptoms, not the roots of the problem.

Read more on Are programs for youth the answer?…

Earlier tonight, I was looking at a slideshow Beth made with photos of homeless young people from around the country. A few moments ago, I was looking at photos of young people who are homeless in Greensboro.

Read more on Young and homeless in Greensboro…