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Guilford County looks for ways to address homeless housing needs

Guilford County Commissioners discuss housing and other issues facing the homeless during a recent work session. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Guilford County Commissioners are considering a proposal to help address homelessness in the community. That includes efforts to find additional temporary shelter opportunities at local hotels.

The Guilford County Continuum of Care (CoC) is a collaboration of several nonprofits, local governments, and community partners that provides temporary and stable housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness. It's part of a federally funded initiative through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

County Commissioners recently reviewed a funding proposal from CoC for more than $300,000 to hire additional staff to expand programs. Guilford County currently spends around $84,000 a month to help house the homeless.

Carlvena Foster, vice chair of the local Board of Commissioners, says one of the biggest concerns right now is finding enough spaces for emergency shelter.

“We are talking about single parents, single moms with children who are sleeping in their cars, people that are being evicted," says Foster. "And the challenge here is there is not enough housing to accommodate the growing number of homeless people in our county."

Foster says Guilford CoC is reaching out to see if more hotels are willing to open up rooms that are paid for through the program. The proposal for additional funds will be revisited in the coming weeks.

According to data from county officials, last year there were more than 480 homeless people in Guilford County. The 2022 Point-in-Time Count is currently underway in the county and that data is expected to be released in about a week.

Foster says discussions are also underway about creating a 24/7 hotline to meet emergency housing needs for community members, especially during nighttime hours.

Follow WFDD's, I'm Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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