GREENSBORO, N.C. — Funding will move forward as planned for a Greensboro nonprofit.
Greensboro City Council unanimously voted on Monday to continue to fund the Interactive Resource Center (IRC), a downtown nonprofit that serves the homeless population.
The discussion took up the bulk of the 3-hour meeting.
You may remember, that the city council recently voted to postpone funding decisions on the IRC, citing safety concerns.
The IRC recently expanded its hours, since then, city records have shown a surge in 911 calls.
The city asked IRC leaders to come up with a plan to make that better.
The council said people mistook their intentions.
"The only thing we wanted to do is make it better. we had discussions to ask for more accountability. We never said we weren't gonna give them any more money. there were some conversations. I think we're on a better track because we asked questions," said a council member.
The IRC plans to up safety and security measures.
Among the changes, the group won't run its safe parking program anymore.
With expanded hours, the IRC said people won't need a safe spot to sleep in their car.
The IRC released the following statement:
"The City Council voted unanimously on Monday, August 5 to fund IRC’s Drop-In Center and will re-evaluate in six months to determine additional support.
The City indicated they want to see deliverables met regarding issues of concern around the increased number of individuals seeking services since the IRC moved to 24/7 operations earlier this year.
This vote occurred after postponement during the July 16th City Council meeting that resulted in a July 25th work session where the IRC provided the City with a 30-60-90 plan to address safety and trash concerns.
The IRC seeks equivalent funds from Guilford County, also a major funding partner.
“We are eager to serve IRC guests without an interruption of services and look forward to continued conversations with the City and County to help meet the needs of those in our community,” said IRC’s Executive Director Kristina Singleton.
In July, IRC leaders submitted a request to the City for $844,046 for the Drop-In center, which provides showers, laundry, mail service and restroom facilities. This is part of a 1.3-million-dollar request for four programs, including rapid rehousing, winter pallet shelters, and traveler’s aid.
The IRC shifted to 24/7 operations for the Drop-In Center in March. The IRC has experienced a 67% increase in those seeking services compared to the same period in 2023. IRC leaders stress the center is absorbing a historically high number of Triad-based unhoused individuals.
In June of 2023, 632 unduplicated individuals accessed the IRC’s Drop-In Center. In June of this year, that number rose to 804.
As part of the 30-60-90 day plan, IRC leaders have worked daily on strategies to address the unprecedented number of people of guests, including additional staff and security, increase partnership with the Greensboro Police Department, on-site nursing staff from Cone Health, more consistent communication with neighboring businesses, and additional measures to manage trash on and around the IRC campus.
“The past few weeks have highlighted the opportunity for increased partnerships to address the magnitude of need, but the journey isn’t over,” said Kristina Singleton. “Resources like bathrooms, showers, and laundry are the center of everything we do at the IRC, and we will continue to do all we can to offer the most fundamental services to our community.”"
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.
SUBSCRIBE | https://bit.ly/2vsX74I
Follow us:
Facebook | https://bit.ly/3326pAY
Twitter | https://bit.ly/2vIPZkT
Instagram | https://bit.ly/39Ghs5a
Download the WFMY News 2 app:
►Text the word APP to 336-379-5775
►For iPhone | https://apple.co/3aaH6iM
►For Android | https://bit.ly/3aea9Sv
