Greensboro rolls out Vision 36 and proposes "Housing First Plus" pilot to house vulnerable residents

Greensboro's weekly city briefing announced Vision 36, a new 10-year plan now in effect that city staff say will connect and build on existing initiatives to guide decisions on housing, jobs and development. "Vision 36 connects several initiatives already in place, including GSO 2040 comprehensive plan, the earlier GSO 2035 vision, the road to 10,000 housing initiative, and downtown development efforts," the Presenter said.

The Presenter said Vision 36 will focus on talent retention, connecting neighborhoods, closing the income gap and expanding economic mobility. The briefing also introduced a proposed Community Safety Department pilot called "Housing First Plus," described as a move toward providing permanent, stable housing for the city's most vulnerable residents if the council approves the proposal. "The Community Safety Department is prepared to launch the Housing First Plus project, a transformative initiative designed to move our most vulnerable neighbors from the street into permanent stable housing," the Presenter said.

Staff described the pilot in concrete terms: reallocating resources toward two high-impact pilots, targeted housing stabilization for 10 small families and intensive support for 20 high-need individuals. The Presenter said the goal is to sunset the Doorway project and replace it with a scalable, proactive system intended to demonstrate that permanent housing is the most effective intervention for Greensboro's future. The Presenter qualified that the pilot would proceed only "if approved by council."

The city directed residents to the municipal website for more details and materials on Vision 36 and the Housing First Plus proposal. The briefing did not include a council vote or a timeline for council consideration; those procedural steps were not specified in the transcript.