Where Is Tent City In Greenville Sc 2016

A look at Greenville’s homeless population five years after Tent City

Tent City, a temporary encampment of homeless individuals under the Pete Hollis Bridge in Greenville County, was demolished by county officials in 2014, marking the fifth anniversary of the closure. It was estimated that there were roughly 100 homeless individuals living in the stopgap community at its peak. These were people who turned up and set up camp beneath the bridge with their scant belongings, some of whom had been there for years. Although first neglected, the rising number of drifters gradually became an issue that could no longer be ignored.

By September 2014, the county had ordered the camp to be disbanded due to safety concerns.

Greenville Homeless Alliance was founded in response to Tent City, an organization formed through public-private partnerships with the mission of making homelessness “brief and rare” in Greenville.

McLarty was appointed as the organization’s first coordinator in January of this year.

McLarty said the city and county councils should work together to end homelessness in the Upstate.

McLarty explained that “emergency shelters have now evolved into transitional housing and that there is just no space in our inn to accommodate persons who are homeless.” In the five years following the demise of Tent City, the dearth of affordable housing has continued to worsen, with around 500 new dwellings being built each year.

While financing for affordable housing has grown at the municipal and county levels, the county’s median income has climbed by around $13,700 since the Tent City riots.
Because the AMI has risen, more high-paying jobs have been created — but the challenge is that the minimum wage has remained the same, meaning that people working in lower-paying jobs have seen their wages stagnate.
The 2018 Homeless Point in Time Count keeps track of the number of homeless persons who were present in the county on a certain day during the month of January.
A large number of homeless persons who are doubling up or staying in hotels are not included in this figure.
The biggest concentrations of homeless kids were seen at Greenville High School and Blythe Academy.
In the previous school year, Augusta Circle had one student who was homeless; however, when the new principal took over, she expressed her displeasure with the circumstances of some of the residences when she went to visit families, according to McLarty.
However, according to the 2018 Greenville County Affordable Housing Report, an individual must earn at least $13.62 per hour, or $28,332 per year, in order to be able to afford rent in the county — a figure that is higher in the city of Greenville.

In addition to hiking the minimum wage, McLarty suggested that affordable housing be built with rents starting at $200 per month, that public transit be linked to cheap housing, and that the city and county collaborate on infrastructure for affordable housing.

Panhandlers in Greenville, SC

While waiting at a crosswalk on my way to the Peace Center to pick up tickets for School of Rock, I notice a man on the opposite side of the street who appears to be reading a newspaper in his car. He works as a panhandler in Greenville, South Carolina. When it was time to cross the street, he folded the newspaper and tucked it under his arm, then began tapping his cane against the curb with his hat hanging out. I was in the heart of downtown Greenville. DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST AND WATCH THE VIDEO That man took objection to my cheapness because I gave him a nickel?

In the Upstate, shouldn’t there be some sort of litmus test when people are accosted by these unlawful panhandlers?
But, at the same time, I’m filled with dread since I have no way of knowing how horrible his situation actually is.
And there’s this video on the Internet of a street beggar squatting on the sidewalk, which you can see.
It’s known as a white cane, and he utilizes it to assist him in finding his path.
It’s a nice backpack.
Is he, on the other hand?
The beggar flinches violently in defense, and it’s clear that he’s aware of what’s going on.

Just get out of my way, you fucking lunatic.

Is it, nevertheless, appropriate to use a litmus test?

I get the impression that it’s a good method to attract attention regardless of whether he’s visually challenged or not.

What else is he going to do but meticulously hand-letter a sign?

In the event that you appear to be lying horizontally on the bed, asleep, they will elevate your hand over your face and drop it; if you attempt to prevent the hand from hitting you, you are awake.

However, the reality is that our country provides more humanitarian assistance, giveaways, and social spending per capita than any other country in the world.

According to Luke 6:35, you should love your adversaries, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything in return.

Consequently, your argument that the homeless should be treated even better than our adversaries is one that I think I’ll accept.

But, in this day and age, is it even possible?

Many panhandlers established a base of operations in Greenville, South Carolina.

It was a fascinating tale.

Around ten years ago, the encampment began to develop in size, and by the end of the decade, there were hundreds of tents and a makeshift kitchen giving primitive comfort to Greenville’s dispossessed.

Everything but the kitchen sink and the toilet, including canned goods, beds, clothes, and sleeping bags.

When basic hygiene needs are not fulfilled, there is a concern of disease, and the City went in and shut it down by giving bus tickets out of Greenville to those who requested them and homeless shelters to those who want to remain.

How am I going to teach my 4 year boy that he should avoid being stepped over by panhandlers in Greenville, South Carolina?

Our religious right does not believe that turning the other cheek and laying down one’s life in order to follow Jesus are red letters that should be celebrated.

Should panhandling be made banned in Greenville, South Carolina?

Reedy Place is a shelter with 23 beds dedicated to chronically homeless persons who are suffering from a mental illness.

According to Lehman, the cost of such a facility has not yet been decided.

People who had never been homeless before were brought into the system by a loss of employment or a major medical condition in the past, according to homeless service providers at the time.

Another eight-unit structure, constructed in 2009 at a cost of $624,000, was also constructed. The structures have the appearance of a low-key apartment building.

Useful Links about Panhandlers in Greenville, SC

The Upstate area consists of thirteen counties. County boundaries include: Abbeville; Anderson; Cherokee; Edgefield; Greenville; Greenwood; Laurens; McCormick; Oconee; Pickens; Saluda; Spartanburg; and Union According to United Housing Connections, of the 1,829 homeless people in 2016, 251 were “chronically homeless persons,” 246 were “victims of domestic abuse,” 207 were “households with at least one kid,” and 141 were veterans. Another concept, known as Housing First, has been implemented in recent years by dozens of localities as well as the state of Utah, and is based on the principle of providing housing first to those who need it.

They will always have a place to live, regardless of whether or not they tackle their problems.

Programs in Toronto and New York City that adopt a similar approach have mostly served homeless persons who are mentally ill as their emphasis.

There has been a 91 percent reduction in the number of chronically homeless persons in the state since that time.

When the woods are home

After moving from Maryland to Anderson many months ago in the hopes of overcoming their heroin habit, Nicholas Houman and Loni Wigfield had been successful. In the wake of a series of disappointments, they found themselves sharing a tent in the woods outside Westside High School last week. Their neighbors included wild cats, a reclusive man who kept three guinea pigs, and a woman who lived in a tree house on the property. It’s difficult to survive outside in South Carolina during the hot months.

Houman claimed he was recently admitted to AnMed Health Medical Center in Anderson after suffering from heat exhaustion there.
Since February, code enforcement officers in Greenville County have demolished three structures.
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office code enforcement investigator Ben Cothran says there is no one correct response.
After a few minutes, Cothran informed the couple that they were trespassing on land owned by a Georgia man who requested that they and everyone else on the 1.5-acre plot leave immediately.
Carson then informed Houman that he had an outstanding bench warrant from the city of Anderson, which he had failed to pay.
With dread at the possibility of being alone, Wigfield burst into tears as Cothran and Carson prepared to take Houman away from the house.

“Here we are again,” she cried out in despair. “It was different back home since I was familiar with everyone.” Houman made an effort to reassure her. It was his way of saying, “I love you with all of my heart.” “You must maintain your composure, understand? Maintain your composure.”

A persistent problem

There are around 500,000 homeless persons in the United States, according to estimates. According to the 2016 Point-in-Time Count, there are around 5,000 homeless people in South Carolina. The results of this year’s survey have not yet been made public. According to the most recent count, the Upstate area has the largest number of homeless persons in South Carolina — 1,829, or 36% of the state’s total — with a total of 36 percent of the state’s homeless population. That statistic marks a 7 percent decrease from the previous year.

Anderson County has just 97 homeless persons when the census was conducted in 2016.
He claims that his church serves as a day shelter for more than 200 needy individuals every week, many of whom are homeless, and that it is a vital part of the community.
Mr.
In addition to mental illness, alcoholism, and drug addiction, Stutler stated that many of the county’s homeless citizens suffer from substance abuse.
Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown determined that he died as a result of methamphetamine usage.
Cothran, who works with Stutler when he is not on duty, believes that there is a lack of a safety net for homeless individuals in Anderson County.
“It isn’t big enough to handle all that has to be done in the county,” says the commissioner.
There are 18 beds for men, eight beds for women, and one family room available at the lodge.
Shirley Daniel, the lodge’s monitor, explained that when inmates exhibit questionable behavior, drug tests are performed to them.
Those who live at the lodge must make an effort to get employment.
According to her, some of those who do find job remain at the lodge because they are unable to afford accommodation on a minimum-wage paycheck, so they continue to live there.

People staying at the lodge must return to their rooms by 6 p.m. each day in order to maintain their beds. According to Daniel, “pretty much everybody comes back.”

Squatters vs. landowners

Earlier in the day on Monday, Cothran and Carson stopped to a forested area on Dixie Drive near the Watson Village retail mall before meeting up with Houman and Wigfield. The 32-acre plot is held by a holding corporation with its headquarters in Georgia. When they arrived, Stan Johnson, a 56-year-old former electrician who is now incapacitated, was in the process of loading a sleeping bag onto the back of his moped. Johnson has been homeless for the previous few years, according to him. “Things are tough right now, but God is going to find a way,” he declared.

“I’m not going to come back over here,” he said.
In Greenville County, up to 100 homeless individuals were pushed out of a tent city under the Pete Hollis Bridge two years after it was established.
He had already filed an eviction notice on a couple who had been residing in the house before his arrival.
To his surprise, he noticed that the couple had swept up their living room with a broom before leaving the house.
According to him, “it is really rare for individuals to become agitated while dealing with me.” “Just a quick hello and how’s everything going for you today?’ I would say.
A group of Homeland Park homeowners, led by Cothran, spent several weeks earlier this year attempting to dissolve a temporary village on Kay Drive, where up to 15 individuals were living in campers and tents with no access to running water or sanitary facilities.
The Anderson County Council approved an ordinance last year with the goal of discouraging squatters from establishing permanent residences on private property.

According to Wilson, “there have been a number of awful occurrences in my district.” A squatter’s right to live in a home is one of the difficulties Cothran has encountered in implementing the code, according to Cothran, who claims that various county courts have varying interpretations of what constitutes legal occupancy.

Assuming a court finds that the residence criterion has been satisfied, Cothran stated that an arrest warrant for trespassing will not be issued.

Cothran stated last week that a landowner had recently complained to him about the condition of his property “These folks are in possession of far more rights than I am.

The Belton City Council is debating whether or not to impose time limitations on how long individuals may remain in campers inside the city limits, according to City Administrator Alan Sims.

“I have a responsibility as a deputy and as an employee of the county to look out for the inhabitants of the county,” he added. In my human and Christian capacities, though, I also have to be on the lookout for those who are taking up 80 percent of my time. “

Moving on

When Houman and Wigfield arrived in Anderson, he said that they had intended to stay with his sister. However, they eventually decided to look for a new place to reside. After a disturbance was reported at the Southerner Motor Lodge on Williamston Road at around 8:30 p.m on Jan. 17, Anderson police arrived and arrested the couple. According to a police report, Houman and Wigfield were embroiled in an altercation over an alcoholic beverage at the time of the incident. It was determined that they had both committed third-degree domestic abuse, and that Houman had also committed disorderly conduct. According to court documents, the accusations against the woman for domestic violence are still active. They then relocated to the Stay Lodge, which is located off of Pearman Dairy Road. According to the couple, Wigfield’s brother went from Maryland to join them before taking $600 from them and vanished into thin air. Houman came before Assistant City Judge Stacy Blair on Monday, only a few hours after being arrested and brought to the city prison for disorderly behavior. He was there to address an outstanding bench warrant for his failure to pay a $257 fine for the disorderly conduct offense. Houman informed Blair that, since relocating to Anderson, he had been unable to receive disability payments linked to his mental health issue. However, he stated that he expects to begin getting the payments on August 1. According to Blair, if Houmann does not pay his fine by August 2nd, he will be sentenced to 30 days in jail. After that, he freed Houman from detention. After removing their tent from the woods outside Westside High School on Friday morning, Houman and Wigfield returned to their home. During the process of packing up the remainder of their stuff, Houman informed Cothran that they were now camped behind his sister’s house. The lady who had been staying in a neighboring tree home had also vanished. The other homeless man had also failed to appear at his designated camping spot. However, it appeared that he had made little effort to pack up his stuff before leaving the house. On the clothesline, several freshly washed clothing were hanging, and his three guinea pigs, each in their own grocery cart, were still present and accounted for. Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter at @KirkBrown AIM
And on Facebook at Kirk Brown.

List of tent cities in the United States – Wikipedia

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Navigate to the next page Jump to the search results In the United States, there are a number of notabletent cities can be found. A tent city is an encampment or housing complex that is constructed entirely of tents or other temporary buildings.

West Coast

Portland, Oregon’s Dignity Village is located on a side street. In Portland, Oregon, there was a camp called Right 2 Dream Too.

Skid River encampment in Anaheim, California
3rd Avenue and Ingra Street encampment in Anchorage, Alaska
Seabreeze, on and off settlement at People’s Park in Berkeley, California
Anchorage, Alaska: 3rd Avenue and Ingra Street encampment
Chinook Creek in Chico, California
Opportunity Village and Westmoreland Park in Eugene, Oregon
Devil’s Playground in Eureka, California
New Jack City in Fresno, California
Village of Hope and Community of Hope in Fresno
New Jack City in Chico, California
Village of Hope and Community of Hope in Fresno, California Hawaii: Pu’uhonua o WaianaeinWaianae (Pu’uhonua of WaianaeinWaianae)
Las Vegas, Nevada: Tent communities are common in Downtown, particularly on G Street. A new one will be built near the Interstate 405 and 710 freeways in Long Beach, California, as of April 2021. During a homeless encampment near the present-day one around 405 in September 2008, five persons were shot to death in what is considered to be one of the bloodiest incidents of violence against the homeless community on record. Two gang members were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release in 2018. One victim was slain as a result of a drug argument, while the other four were killed as a result of their presence at the scene of the crime. Many encampments may be found across Los Angeles and the surrounding area, with the majority of them concentrated in Downtown Los Angeles, the Fashion District, Hollywood, Skid Row, Venice Beach, and Westlake. An estimated 40,000 homeless people dwell in Los Angeles, with a total population of up to 70,000 throughout the entire county. Efforts to clean away the homeless encampments on Venice Beach began in late July 2021, with some tents and property belonging to homeless inhabitants still in the process of being removed. The signing of a law by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to criminalize homeless sleeping and taking up shelter in specified sections of the city sparked riots and demonstrations at his residence, with 50 demonstrators demonstrating outside his home and a rock being hurled at his residence.

Because of the forthcoming Super Bowl 2022, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood was the focus of interest in January 2022 for sweepstakes.

National City, California
Novato, California: Lee Gerner Park
Oakland, California: 77th Avenue encampment, Fruitvale Home Depot encampment, The Village
Sacramento, California: 77th Avenue encampment, Fruitvale Home Depot encampment, The Village
Camp Quixote in Olympia, Washington
Temporary Homeless Service Area (THSA) in Ontario, California
Oceanside, California: South Ocean Blvd. encampment, Roymar Road, which was subsequently covered with rocks in May 2021
Oceanside, California: South Ocean Blvd. encampment, Roymar Road Petaluma, California: The Petaluma Riverencampment had a peak population of roughly 300 inhabitants and may still have a presence
Portland, Oregon:Dignity Village,Right 2 Dream Too
s Rohnert Park, California: Roberts Lake encampment
s Salinas, California: There is a tent city in Salinas’ historic Chinatown
s San Franciscohas at least 8,000 sheltered and/or homeless people, 1 percent of SF’s population. There have been reports of homeless encampments spouted and are increasingly prevalent in the neighborhoods of SoMa and Tenderloin, as well as in front of San Francisco City Hall and other locations across the city. The Jungle in San Jose, California, was at one point one of the largest homeless encampments in the United States, prior to a boom in the use of homeless tents around North America in the late 2010s and early 2011s. In 2013, it had a total of 175 employees. Other encampments in San Jose include the one on Berryessa and McKee, which can be seen from space, and there are several homeless camps in San Diego as well. Three homeless men were killed and six others were injured when a truck ploughed into an encampment in Downtown San Diego in March 2021
Santa Barbara, California: There are three tent cities inIsla Vista, California, which is technically separate from Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz, California: There are approximately 1,200 to 1,700 homeless people in Santa Cruz, accounting for 3.5 percent of the city
Many have lived or are currently living inRoss Camp (200 people)
And other cities.

In August 2020, a homeless tent city will be established in Fremont Park in Santa Rosa, California.

One encampment with four or more tents/structures is located between a church and a small retail center on the southwest corner of Sebastopol Road and South Wright Road in Santa Rosa, California, according to the city’s website. In addition to a permanent settlement on 4th Street in front of the Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant parking lot, there was sporadic activity on Morgan Street and Industrial Drive. Doyle Community Park and Fremont Park are both excellent options. Joe Rodota Trail and Homeless Hill are either no longer in use or have very sporadic habitation. A few examples include the following: Sacramento, California: American River encampment, CHAZ, The Jungle, Nickelsville, Tent City 3, and Tent City 4
Woodinville, Washington: Camp Unity Eastside
Vallejo, California: Wilson Avenue and Sacramento Street
Ventura, California: River Haven
And other locations.

Mountain and Midwest states

Camp Take Notice, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Colorado River: The Point, where the Gunnison River and the Colorado River meet
Chicago: Tent City, Uptown Tent City
Lake Michigan: The Point, Lake Michigan
Lake Superior: The Point, Lake Superior
Lake Denver has a large number of homeless encampments that have been or still exist in the same locations, including those inRiNo, as well as one that will close there in November 2020, among other things. Woodstock West was one of them. There are homeless encampments in Detroit’s Hart Plaza, Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Saint Mary’s River, Indianapolis’ downtown Indianapolis area, Bernalillo County, New Mexico’s Camp Hope, and Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Camp Hope
Minneapolis, Minnesota’s 2020 Minneapolis homeless encampment on park property
Ogden, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah’s 600 West, and Pioneer Park have homeless encampments
And other cities. Detroit has one homeless encampment in Hart

Southern US

Homeless camping will be prohibited in Asheville, North Carolina, Atlanta’s “The Hill,” Buckhead, and Austin, Texas beginning in April 2021. As of May, there are many homeless camps in Austin, including one on Lady Bird Trail. A ballot initiative that was adopted by voters in May 2021 resulted in the reinstatement of the camping prohibition. In addition to Downtown Austin and the region around the University of Texascampus, the ban also applies to Tent City in Fayette County, Tennessee, Greenville, South Carolina, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Tent City in Phoenix, Arizona. A substantial tent city existed in Downtown from March 2021 to March 2021, when it was dispersed. The cities of Jacksonville, Texas (Avenue A and 13th Street encampment)
Norfolk, Virginia
St. Louis, Missouri (a camp in a park near downtown that was cleared in January 2021, and homeless camps still exist in the Saint Louis area)
Pensacola, Florida
Tampa, Florida
And others may have smaller homeless tent cities or tents.

East coast

Cassandra Massey and Cassin Boston, Massachusetts: As of early September 2021, a tent city in theMelnea Cass Boulevardarea, which is informally nicknamed ” Methadone Mile,” had grown from a “dozen in a matter of weeks” to over 100 residents from a “dozen in a matter of weeks.” Burlington, Vermont
Camden, New Jersey:Transition Park,Camden, New Jersey
Hartford, Connecticut:Downtown Hartford
Tent City (100+ According to a 2020NBC article, they were reported in Chelsea, Manhattan, and Bushwick, Brooklyn, among other places. During the summer of 2020, the three other boroughs denounced them to the authorities. Tent city in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. A woman was shielding her companion near a tent city when a homeless guy grew upset after assuming that the two had gotten too close to his tent and made him feel uncomfortable. He then stabbed the woman, 40, to death, despite the fact that she was neither a resident of the tent city or considered to be homeless. Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Scotts Township
Portland, Maine’s Presley Street
Washington, D.C.’s underpasses on L and M streets
And other locations.

Other

Property owned by St. Vincent de Paul, located on Fourth Avenue North in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

External links

Tent Cities in America, a study by the National Coalition for the Homeless
A list of tent cities on wikidot.com
And a list of tent cities on wikipediadot.com.

Homelessness in Greenville County

To begin the discussion on homelessness in Greenville County at the GPP meeting in September 2014, Duff Bruce, a trustee with the Jolley Foundation, recognized the accomplishments of agencies that worked together to relocate “tent city” residents from under the Pete Hollis Bridge to safe, longer-term housing and resources. Peter Hollis, he said, was an inventor who sought out the brightest brains in the industry for initiatives that would benefit Greenville County, and he presented the panel as a collection of people who were equally innovative and devoted to the county’s betterment.

Reid Lehman, President/CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries (as well as the panel’s facilitator/coordinator)
Rev. Deb Richardson-Moore, Pastor of Triune Mercy Center
Deborah McKetty, Executive Director of CommunityWorks
Monroe Free, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County

The following are the most important points:

A surge in philanthropic gifts to Tent City in response to a Greenville News feature on homelessness resulted in a high population of 100 people by the New Year’s celebration in 2014. Because of the efforts of a coalition of groups (Miracle Hill, Triune, Salvation Army, United Ministries, and Greenville Mental Health), the number of residents has been reduced to 7–12, with all of them expected to be transferred by the end of the month. In order to understand more about residents’ needs and link them with relevant services and housing, agencies conducted one-on-one contact with them. Funding for these relocation efforts came from donations from local foundations. Agencies learned that working together is extremely effective
That by working together and focusing on one person at a time, the solutions are less expensive than anticipated
That the solution is not a large shelter or group alternative housing but rather individual housing solutions based on each person’s needs
And that what appears to be redundancy may actually be required multiple points of entry. There are a variety of service providers that give housing, food, clothes, case management, and other services to those who are homeless or in need of financial assistance. Community issue solving is a more successful technique than “charity” since it allows them to access the continuum of services they require from a range of service providers, and various agencies may be more suited to different people’s needs. Despite the fact that handouts are beneficial and can be used to draw people into services, we must work to bring those who are homeless out of their circumstances and into the mainstream, as well as ensure that those who are one paycheck away from homelessness receive assistance such as emergency loan funds (which fosters a relationship) rather than handouts that do nothing to change the underlying situation. People who are homeless are not defined by the problems they have, but rather by a lack of resources to help them address those problems. People who have means may, for the most part, obtain educational opportunities, health care, mental health treatments, counseling, and other services. Those living in poverty are unable to do so. Equal access does not imply equal opportunity
Do those who are homeless require assistance with housing first, or do they require assistance with programs that address personal responsibility? The answer is that they require both. Personal circumstances (e.g., job loss) and/or poor personal decisions can lead to homelessness. Homelessness is a serious problem in many communities (e.g. substance abuse or a felony conviction). An integrated continuum of services that addresses both availability of inexpensive shelter and programs that have an influence on personal decisions is required in the community. When one answer becomes the preferred option, we become too narrow-minded and unable to see the big picture

Charleston’s Tent City now uninhabited

Final week, the last occupant of the homeless encampment known as Tent City boarded a bus, leaving an empty spot beneath the Interstate 26 flyover, where more than 100 people had resided only a few months before. The abandoned tents and mountains of garbage were swept up by a backhoe loader and loaded into a truck, which then transported the contents away. Trash was collected and placed in plastic bags by personnel wearing protective gloves. By the time Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg conducted a news conference at 1:30 p.m., the area had been evacuated and thoroughly cleaned.

According to Tecklenburg, “what we are here to commemorate is not the closure of Tent City, but rather, the dawning of an entirely new period of partnership in our community.” He stated that some people of the encampment had secured housing, albeit he did not know the precise number.
For the time being, the city has made plans to keep the remaining Tent City inhabitants for a maximum of 60 days while they work to locate them permanent accommodation.
The Homeless to Hope Fund, which is made up of donations, provided the funds for this project.
Approximately half of it has already been committed.
The state Department of Transportation will now notify anyone who pitches a tent in the area that they have 48 hours to vacate the premises, according to Elder.
Then they may be arrested at some point in the future.

We’ve proved, I believe, that we don’t have to go to that position. Diane Knich may be reached by phone at 843-937-5491 or by Twitter at @dianeknich.

About GHA — Greenville Homeless Alliance

The following are the URL parameters: t=13s, width 854 and height 480, providerName: YouTube, thumbnailUrl:, resolvedBy: youtube “data-block-type=”32″ id=”block-yui 3 17 2 1 1635554596393 5052″>” data-provider-name=”YouTube”>” data-block-type=”32″ id=”block-yui 3 17 2 1 1635554596393 5052″>” data-block-type=”32″ id=”block-yui 3_

Our Vision

Equity We are committed to identifying and eliminating prejudices and discrimination among ourselves, our organizations, and our wider community. Everyone benefits from equitable access to secure and affordable homes for persons who are experiencing homelessness. To learn more about our position on race, equity, and inclusion, please see our statement. Integrity We follow through on what we claim we’re going to do. Individuals and organizations are treated with dignity, and we strive to establish and develop mutually trustworthy relationships with them.

We recognize that our strength lies in our differences, and we recognize the inherent worth of every human being.

Homelessness is a complicated issue, as is assisting a diverse group of parties.

To be a collective voice for persons experiencing homelessness as well as those fighting to end homelessness is something we strive for every day.

Our Approach

Greenville is a bustling metropolis full with activity. One person or even one group, on the other hand, will not be able to end homelessness. Homelessness is a far larger problem than any one organization or government institution can effectively address. It is past time to try something else. It’s a group effort.

Our Collective Impact

In order to create a collective impact, GHA uses a single agenda, common progress measurements, coordination of mutually reinforcing activities, ongoing communication, and support of the partnership provided by a host organization, among other things. United Ministries is the group that will be hosting the event. The fiscal agent for the project is the Community Foundation of Greenville. We are here to educate, advocate, collaborate, and innovate on behalf of our clients. Educate We understand that in order to make a lasting influence on homelessness, we must change the way our community perceives it.

Partners, stakeholders, and members of the community are benefiting from the work of our Educate Working Group, which is increasing collective knowledge.
AdvocateWe are a collective voice for those who are experiencing homelessness as well as those who are fighting to end homelessness in our communities.
Towards this end, the Advocate Working Group designed an Advocacy Training Academy, which debuted its first cohort in October 2021 and will continue to grow in the coming years.
We design one-of-a-kind solutions to these problems.

The Greenville Housing Authority (GHA) was established as a loose alliance that includes representatives from the City and County governments in response to an extreme increase in the number of homeless people drawn to a region of Greenville that became known as “Tent City.” According to the Homelessness White Paper, a strategy was set to enhance local housing alternatives for homeless persons, as well as to define objectives for advocacy efforts.

The alliance began by doing a complete data scan in order to define benchmarks and objectives.
With the backing of local charity, the GHA has officially been designated as a collaborative impact program.
The GHA Data Snapshot 2017 report, which was created by Furman University, was finished as an early victory.
UHC and SEARCHLight have begun a capital campaign to construct 36 units of permanent supportive housing, which will satisfy the third of five goals identified by the organization.
The GHA Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Day was founded with a joint proclamation by the Mayor of the City of Greenville and the Chair of the Greenville County Council.

Working Groups have been established to carry out the strategic plan. The REDI statement was written and accepted by the GHA Steering Committee. Following the condemnation of the Economy Inn, the GHA was in charge of the successful execution of the Motel Displacement Plan.

Take Five

To see homelessness and housing instability through a different perspective, count to five and say:

The second graders in Greenville, South Carolina, are sitting in class today, pondering where they are going to sleep tonight. Could you concentrate on your work
Those same students may be taught by teachers who must pay rent that is greater than their monthly salary in order to live in a safe and secure environment. Even for “white collar” professions such as teaching, affordable housing is frequently inaccessible. If a person is able to find housing, they may have limited transportation options and must walk or cycle to their place of employment or school, often over long distances and through dangerous intersections. Emergency shelters are nearly always at capacity because the community does not have adequate housing options for those who need to be housed. Those who find themselves homeless, even for a short period of time, have nowhere to turn
Panhandling exacerbates homelessness and keeps our Greenville citizens trapped in the cycle for longer periods of time. Misguided generosity, on the other hand, causes more harm than good.

Giving without a specific purpose helps to assist the transformational efforts to ignite change in order to address the inconceivably complicated situation of homelessness. We can accomplish a great deal with your assistance. It is the Community Foundation of Greenville that processes your tax-deductible gift on behalf of GHA, which serves as the fiscal agent for the organization.

Ethan Fontole