Twice the Greensboro City Council has heard the same report on leaving the Guilford County Continuum of Care (CoC) and forming a Greensboro CoC.
Neither time has there been a discussion of the Guilford County CoC’s response to the plan for Greensboro to start its own CoC, which clearly has the support of the majority of City Council. The implication was that the Guilford County COC was fine with the idea.
But that is not the case. The Guilford County CoC sent an 11-page response to the Greensboro City Council explaining what the CoC does and why splitting into two bodies would be would not be beneficial to the organizations in Guilford County that provide services for the homeless population or for the homeless population itself. That report from the Guilford County CoC was not mentioned at either of the two City Council work sessions on the proposed new Greensboro CoC, nor was the fact that the chair of the Guilford County CoC board, Pamela Palmer, sent a letter to the City Council requesting a meeting to “respond to questions or concerns” and provide more information.
A CoC is run by a board and is not a part of city or county government but applies for and distributes funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to agencies that deal with the homeless population.
At the City Council work session on Sept. 1, Greensboro City Councilmember Justin Outling was interrupted and blasted by Mayor Nancy Vaughan for suggesting that Greensboro contact Guilford County before making a final decision. Vaughan said that Guilford County had nothing to do with housing and there was no reason to contact them.
The city councilmembers had been provided a list of “CoC Agencies,” which had 13 agencies. The Guilford County CoC actually has over 45 members. And a look at all the members indicates that at the very least a discussion with Guilford County would be appropriate because the membership includes the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, the Guilford County Department of Social Services, the Guilford County Family Justice Center, Guilford County Schools, Guilford County Veterans Services and the Sandhills Center that provides mental health services for Guilford County.
Some of the points made in the Guilford County CoC response include:
“Greensboro agencies will be forced to join the Greensboro CoC if they want funding, whether they want to or not – this is not collaborative and is contrary to the purpose of a CoC – would the Greensboro CoC really be a collaborative and effective body if people are forced to participate just to get funding?
“Funding will become fragmented and will be complex for agencies who serve clients in both cities;
“Most of the Greensboro CoC agencies would want to stay a part of the Guilford County CoC and would not want to separate as demonstrated in the CoC’s Membership and Board vote to establish the Stronger Together Task Force.”
Vaughan and Councilmember Michelle Kennedy, who is the executive director of the Interactive Resource Center (IRC) – a daytime shelter for the homeless in Greensboro – both said that the Guilford County COC did not concentrate enough on housing.
However, according to the Guilford County COC’s report, 87 percent of its funding in 2019 was spent on permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing.
There are currently 12 CoCs in North Carolina.
This whole affordable housing argument is becoming more and more suspect. Perhaps altruism is not the main motivator behind this.
According to some studies (Roofstock & Homesnacks, respectively), we have some of the lowest cost housing in the nation.
So I have to wonder, what is preventing our already low cost housing from being affordable? If it is not the low cost, then what is the root of the affordability problem?
You ask a very important question. It would also be interesting to know who owns the housing units and who owns the property they are suggesting be purchased to put the new units on. Another idea is that their suggestions may be part of the Obama era plan called “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” which is also quite disturbing.
Thanks, those are great insights.
John, how about an interview with Roy Carroll for a current update on his property at Hobbs and Friendly. specifically,at this point: if no announcement is ready then what ideas have you excluded and what are you currently evaluating ? just curious, I don’t have a dog in this fight.. although I prefer not another car wash or Sheets
I wish our traffic department would just eliminate the light signal at Market and Cedar and Cedar and Friendly.
their current function is to impede traffic.
thanks
The jobless and homeless don’t need another agency who’s funding goes to hiring staff to produce studies and papers about the need to do something about homelessness, the folks need help, not to be the subject of studies they’ll never see. I have a 50 year old family member who is jobless and homeless and has been waiting on a call back from Guilford County Social Services for two months to, as he understands it, even set up an appointment to apply for anything. Kudos to the city for letting folks ride the buses fare free though, certainly there is some competent agency to assist these people.
If we stopped treating housing like a commodity when it’s literally one of the first things listed on our hierarchy of needs then maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation.
It is time to bring the truth about “affordable” housing to light – it is just one more “entitlement” for black people. Ask GHA to provide race percentages on who holds Section 8 vouchers (it’s 95.6% black); ask affordable property management companies their race percentages (98.5% black); ask what does these management companies “Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans” show and you will see they are supposed to be marketing to White, Hispanics, and Asians – but are they? We have affordable (low-income) housing in Greensboro. the reason the city pushes for more is because more and more blacks demand free housing. Ask why so many tenants in these projects sit home all day with so many kids by different fathers instead of getting jobs and supporting themselves. Ask why tenants keep having kids they can’t afford and are not willing to raise. Each time I see the billboard that says “ending poverty starts with one child” I think – yeah, end poverty by having one child – not a litter! Affordable housing is just another name for low-income housing projects for people that expect a free ride because of their skin color. I’m sick of it. I grew up poor and worked by way through college and up the ladder to own my business. Not priveleged – just willing to work for what I want and need.