By Matthew Fiorentino
Correspondent
For six weeks now, two outreach workers have been hitting the streets of Orange County getting to know the homeless and the panhandlers. They talk to these people of the streets, earning their trust, learning about their situation and, most importantly, coming up with ideas about how to help them.
At a meeting earlier this month of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce’s Community Leadership Collaboration, this survey of people on the street was touted as an important method for developing ways to deal with panhandling downtown.
“They’re beginning to get to know these folks and they’re starting relationships,†Inter-Faith Council for Social Service director Chris Moran said in a recent interview. “Street folk have needs just like you and me. They just might not be able to communicate them effectively.â€
The workers’ efforts have been assisted by a $45,000 grant from the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) through the OPC Area Program, an organization dedicated to improving mental health and substance abuse services in Orange, Person and Chatham counties.
“We determine the gaps and the services available to them,†said Moran.
The contacts and relationships made by the two outreach workers – a social worker and a former homeless man – may have already helped up to six people find their way off the streets.
“In six weeks, these folks have spoken with at least 100 individuals on the streets,†Moran said. “That’s encouraging in and of itself.â€
However, to be effective, it must be consistent. “This is a program that needs to be in place all the time,†said Moran, who hopes to get two full-time workers when and if more money comes in. “I’ve never had any doubts about how effective it could be.â€
The problem is that funding for the program ends on June 30. Moran said he’d like to see the program continue, but will need support to keep it going.
“We want to encourage Chapel Hill and Carrboro businesses to put monies into this program,†said Moran. “Now is the time for resources to come forward to support this effort.â€
At the recent chamber-led discussion, Liz Parham, executive director of Chapel Hill’s Downtown Partnership, agreed that the program could prove very effective.
“This is the biggest thing we can do on an immediate level to start invoking change,†she said.
Parham also noted that it’s important to make a distinction between panhandlers and the homeless.
“Many of them are not [homeless],†Parham said of panhandlers on Franklin Street. “One drives in from Hillsborough. There are people with houses who are panhandling on this street.â€