Homelessness and hunger are two big issues that plague the Triad. Since 2006, North Carolina has seen a 56 percent increase in homeless children and youth, according to the North Carolina Homeless Education Program.In 2015, a Gallup poll ranked the Greensboro-High Point metropolitan area as having the highest hunger rate in the nation.
That’s why officials at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro want students to help combat those issues.
“What we'd like to see moving forward is that students continue to be equipped to understand the complexities of the issues surrounding hunger and homelessness,” UNCG Director of the Office of Leadership and Service Learning Cathy Hamilton said.
Last week was National Homelessness and Hunger Week. UNCG students were involved in activities to bring awareness to the issue. Hamilton says the university and the North Carolina Homeless Education want students to do more to rid their community of "wicked" problems like hunger and homelessness.
“These problems are ones that can't be solved by technology,” she said. “That rely on many disciplines and many sectors of society to solve, we're engaging students in recognizing that they have a role.”
Greensboro and High Point have improved, and are now number nine on the Gallup poll.