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“Stories of God’s Love in Action”
2011 State of the Ministry Report

2011 was a year Greensboro Urban Ministry made significant progress in implementing strategies to reduce and end hunger and homelessness in our community.  Closely collaborating with Partners Ending Homelessness and other Guilford County agencies, Urban Ministry has worked to prevent homelessness, divert people away from shelters to housing, and rapidly rehouse those who find themselves in our shelters.  Our Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) has taken the lead in preventing homeless by helping those in crisis pay rent, mortgage, or utilities, thus keeping them in their homes.  EAP and our Beyond GUM programs work with those on our shelter waiting lists to find housing.  This diversion avoids the need to move into Pathways, Weaver House, or Winter Emergency (WE).  Beyond GUM aims to rapidly rehouse our individual and family shelter guests into their own permanent housing. Over the past year, the average cost to rehouse a family was a little over $1,200; an individual was around $700. 

2011 was a year our Board Property Committee identified and addressed several important issues.  Our Lee Street building is nearly 20 years old.  Our walk-in cooler/freezer is over 25 years old, so it is scheduled to be replaced in early 2012. One of our food bank trucks was replaced thanks to a donation from Morrisette Paper.  Commercial washers and dryers and many mattresses at Weaver House were replaced.  Our old Clothing Closet was converted into a WE site to house 15 extra homeless men in the winter.  Our back parking lot pedestrian stair entrance was rebuilt thanks to Dean Little’s Eagle Scout project. A comprehensive replacement schedule for all property needs was completed which identified future projects such as updating the Weaver House bathroom/showers and adding solar hot water.

Nobody can deny that 2011 was another year of economic hard times.  However, thanks to the support of a loving and caring community, Greensboro Urban Ministry was able to turn the darkness into light, bad news into good news, and blindness into sight.  In Isaiah 58, the Lord tells us to “share our food with the hungry and open our homes to the homeless poor” and to “satisfy those who are in need.” Another mission of Urban Ministry is to open the eyes of the materially blessed to see the needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless. Urban Ministry provided donors and volunteers an opportunity to give.  Indeed, over 8,000 donors and over 2,000 volunteers gave more than $3.5 million and 100,000 volunteer hours during 2011! 

Bless you all!

Rev. Mike Aiken, Executive Director
Neal Dorman, Board Chair
2011 Annual Report