While many approve of the changes, they hope it doesn’t lead to an increase in unnecessary arrests.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The City of Greensboro is taking steps to keep people from sleeping on sidewalks or in front of businesses.
The City Council unanimously approved an amendment to an ordinance barring people from doing these things — adding the risk of a criminal charge if they ignore repeated warnings.
“This one sheet will give them a list of every warning shelter and regular shelter and even public restrooms,” said Eric Chilton, Greensboro’s Strategic & Crisis Communications Manager, “And we added two more port-a-johns to different areas of downtown to try to help as well. So educate people the problem will diminish or go away. It’s only if they’re repeat offenders that they would actually have a penalty and maybe be arrested but we don’t want that.”
City leaders say some downtown businesses claim more people are urinating and defecating near their shops. Many of them are pitching tents outside of businesses, or simply sleeping in front of their doorways.
One aspect of the amended ordinance is giving people in need a paper listing several important resources on it, from warming centers to full-time shelters, and places where they can use the restroom.
“A lot of these services whether it’s gum or the faith-based organizations they help them. It’s not just ‘you can sleep here,'” Chilton said. “It’s a educating and transitional type situation to hopefully transition them into regular employment and kind of a more normal life.”
One business owner who spoke to WFMY News 2 said he hopes the change keeps people from continuing to sleep in front of city establishments. He also said he hopes the changes don’t go too far.
“With the threat of that, if you have less people coming out here and more people going and seeking these programs — okay it works, great,” said Omar Hanhan, co-owner of Jerusalem Market in Greensboro. “But if you have a bunch of people that are just getting arrested left and right I don’t see that stopping because they’ll be back and the issue will still be in place.”
The City of Greensboro and other business owners WFMY News 2 spoke to agree with the latter point. Instead, they hope the change will give people in need options to keep them off the streets.
Jay Young, who owns several businesses downtown, said it not only makes employees feel safer, but it also makes the people on the street feel safer, as well.
“To pretend that a downtown sidewalk is a campground is not sustainable — it’s not safe, it’s not sanitary and we’re just not going to have people come downtown because the perception is that it’s not safe,” Young said. “Nobody wants to have to walk over somebody to get into a place of business.”
Guilford County’s last estimated that there were 641 homeless people in the county, up significantly from the 452 at this time last year.
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