Greensboro City Council and mayoral candidates shared their visions for how to address homelessness and the need for more housing at a town hall on Friday.
The forum hosted by the Interactive Resource Center touched on a variety of topics, including the city’s "Road to 10,000" plan. The initiative looks to add thousands of new homes over the next few years.
Greensboro mayoral candidate Robbie Perkins said the plan will be key to the city’s future.
“We've got to have everybody at City Hall saying that this is important, and this is something that as a community we've got to do because we've got a desperate housing shortage from the bottom to the top, from the top to the bottom," he said.
City Council candidates Crystal Black and Monica Walker both said the initiative needs to ensure that affordable homes aren’t only located in one part of Greensboro.
Black said concentrating poverty keeps people from seeing upward mobility in their neighborhoods.
“Let's let some of the other districts carry some of this burden so that we can give people a little hope in their lives, is what I think we need to have," she said.
Candidates were also questioned about assisting those without housing. Last year, Greensboro approved an ordinance that banned encampments in public spaces and sleeping on sidewalks.
Mayoral candidate Marikay Abuzuaiter, who currently sits on the City Council, said the move was needed for safety and that teams are sent out with the intention to help.
“It is not where they go in and just automatically get rid of everybody's belongings, you know, we've received a lot of criticism on this, but we really want to try and find out what services they need,” she said.
Hugh Holston, who is running for reelection on the Council, said more social workers can help to keep people from falling into a cycle.
“Case management, in my standpoint, that extra touch, is the most important part of what our residents need to get out of homelessness and stay out of homelessness,” Holston said.
Election Day is Nov. 4.