Welcome to the IRC website

This time twelve months ago a small but energetic group of volunteers—many of them homeless–was working on final plans for a temporary day center in the unused floor of a Sunday School building at Bessemer United Methodist Church, intended to help people through the hard winter of 2008-2009 . We scrubbed and painted, put in a shower and wiring for a washer and dryer, we scrounged furniture and equipment (special thanks to the Barnabas Network and HandyCapable for their early help), we lined up assistance from area agencies, and—working closely with Greensboro Urban Ministry and the WE! (Winter Emergency) sites–were ready in early January for our first guests.

It’s December again and—more than 1,000 individual lives touched later –we’re still here and still going strong. Last March when the Strasser family finalized their gift of a permanent downtown home for the IRC we realized that it made sense for us to keep going, serving and learning while we worked on plans for our move. What started as an emergency project had proved its value to the community, and the community responded by supporting our continuing operation.

We are excited about the future! Some of our upcoming projects:

Homeless Helping Homeless for the Holidays: Because the holidays are a hard time for homeless parents who can’t provide for their children, some of our homeless guests have organized a Christmas party for children of IRC guests and needy children in the Bessemer neighborhood. We are collecting names and wishes of children (over 40 so far!) and finding sponsors who will buy a toy, book or some clothing for a child who might otherwise have to do without. For more information call the IRC at 336/332-0824.

Job Search Center: We have just completed the up-fit of a classroom at our current location to serve as an employment counseling center. With some new partitions we now have space for two small offices, a classroom/reading library and a dressing room and clothing bank for people getting ready for job interviews. Our intensive job counseling program has already found work for more than 70 of our unemployed and homeless guests. If you are interested in learning more about IRC Jobs call us at 336/332-0824 or email Jenny Hudson at jenny [at] gsodaycenter.org.

Garden Plans: A roomy section of the parking lot at our new building at 407 E. Washington Street has been reserved for a future garden. The garden was chosen as a project by a Leadership Greensboro team that brings to it both enthusiasm and a wide range of skills. Check back often to see how our garden grows!