Source: Fox 8
Unfortunately, the rise in prices for housing, food, and other necessities, has made it quite difficult for many to make ends meet. Therefore, the homeless population has continued to grow around the country and in North Carolina.
As of May 2024, Fox 8 reported that in Guilford County, 641 people are facing homelessness. This number has increased significantly from previous years. Throughout 2021 to 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness ranged between 426 to 482.
So what is being done to address the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in Greensboro?
On Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m., Scuppernong Books is hosting a town hall where they have invited leaders, clients of the Interactive Resource Center and anyone else who lives or works downtown that wants to talk about solutions to homelessness.
Steve Mitchell, who is one of the owners of Scuppernong Books, has noticed over 14 years how those experiencing homelessness in Greensboro have been treated as an afterthought.
Mitchell told Fox 8, “I see these people every day. They need more help than they are getting, and there is only so much that we can do as a downtown business. […] For a long time, it has sort of been a side issue that has been swept under the rug or kept over someplace, and I think we need to kind of start to talk about … [its] a major issue in our community because these are people who are part of our community.”
Now is the time to come together with our homeless populations and find some long-term solutions.
If you would like to attend Scuppernong Books’ Homelessness Town Hall on Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m., RSVP here.
