CHAPEL HILL N.C. (WNCN) – From panhandling concerns among Franklin Street businesses, to maxed-out shelter space, advocates say adequate housing is a critical foundation needed in Chapel Hill.
Bartender Justin Cole says panhandling and, at times, harassment happen too close for comfort along Franklin Street.
“I think harassment at night on the street has gotten a little bit out of control,” Cole said.
Although safety concerns among Chapel Hill’s main strip only represent a fraction of the unhoused community, Chapel Hill police say they’re aware of business concerns and Chapel Hill’s Crisis Unit works daily to outreach to vulnerable people in the town.
Lily Dickinson, manager at 1922 Coffee Shop, said she hasn’t experienced harassment, but instead sees a need for more housing resources for people who come in to her shop for shelter.
“We have staff meeting check-ins making sure that everyone feels safe along with recognizing that the people that are coming in here and needing support are looking for resources and being there to provide that,” Dickinson said. “These individuals in our community need our support and don’t have it. That’s why they’re coming to us.”
Jackie Jenks, the president of Orange County’s only shelter system, run by the Inter-Faith Council, said homelessness spiked during the pandemic by 30 percent. She said rising costs of rent makes it harder for people coming out of crisis to find safe and affordable housing in the town.
“We definitely see more people who are outside with nowhere to go at night because our shelters are full,” Jenks said. “What we need right now is for in Orange county, and surrounding counties, for there to be a commitment that we are going to build the housing that is necessary so that people who are low-wage, no-wage, and on fixed incomes are able to have somewhere inside to live.”