From San Juan to Los Angeles, from Nashua to Miami, and Norfolk to Denver, volunteers partnered today in the inaugural National Project Homeless Connect Day sponsored by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to engage thousands of persons experiencing homelessness in more than twenty of the nation's cities. Thousands of volunteers from nonprofits, corporations, federal, state, and local government agencies, faith-based organizations, and homeless service programs joined to offer services and housing to end the homelessness of their neighbors, often in centralized one-stop centers set up for the day. This issue of the e-news provides early reports on results in participating cities.

In Los Angeles, where a first-time census this year showed the largest homeless population in the country, Council Director Philip Mangano, joining Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (pictured here third from left) for the region's event, which included Hollywood and West Hollywood at the Hollygrove Children and Family Services Center, told the partners, "Project Homeless Connect is one of those innovative strategies that adds to our ability to accomplish the mission. In creating a one-stop, in bringing together the resources that will jointly end homelessness - especially housing, services, treatment, and jobs - we're assembling the solutions. Homelessness is yielding to these."

At the welcome ceremonies People Assisting the Homeless CEO Joel John Roberts and Honorary Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant (at right, seated) welcomed volunteers and speakers, includng Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Member Zev Yaroslavsky (fourth from left), West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land (far left), Los Angeles Council Member Tom LaBonge (second from left), and Hollygrove CEO Judith Nelson.

Over 235 individuals were engaged in the local event, where over 100 volunteers were on-site, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 45 individuals took part in court proceedings to have offenses cleared from their records.

Council Regional Coordinators John O'Brien, Carleton Lewis, Michael German, Daryl Hernandez, and Eduardo Cabrera, as well as Council staff, contributed these reports.

At Miami Cares Day Mayor Manny Diaz (pictured here at right), joined by City of Miami Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez, presented a Proclamation for Miami Cares Day to Council Regional Coordinator Michael German (center). 540 volunteers engaged over 600 homeless individuals including moving 80 people to permanent housing and assisting 150 with Food Stamp and SSI applications. In Philadelphia, over 125 volunteers gathered in the same Municipal Building Concourse site where 100 homeless people had slept the previous night to deliver 25 different services as more than 300 homeless persons arrived during the first 90 minutes of the engagement event. Continuous transportation was available to assist people in using services, and real- time HMIS registration was used to track services and issue ID's.

SSA was among the partners present for San Jose's very successful event at the San Jose Convention Center, where both the number of persons engaged and the number of volunteers were more than double what was expected. More than 700 homeless persons were engaged by the more than 230 volunteers who participated in the day's events. The Social Security Administraition was among the participating agencies.

Norfolk, Virginia, engaged over 300 persons with the help of over 250 volunteers who provided medical, legal, and employment services, as well as benefits assistance, while, in St. Louis, a local recreation center hosted Project Connect, and over 150 volunteers assisted more than 135 individuals, including 12 who left the streets for residential placements by day's end.

In San Francisco, where the Project Homeless Connect model originated, 1500 homeless persons and 1500 vounteers made the connection that has established this technology as a successful innovation. Federal partners included the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration. In San Diego, over 300 persons were engaged in services early in the day, with more than 20 placed in residential programs. Both the U.S. Department of Housing and the Social Security Administration (SSA) took part.

In Nashua, New Hampshire, 60 volunteers joined by Mayor Bernard Streeter gathered at a local church to deliver services from over 15 agencies to about 60 homeless persons. The Social Security Administration worked on-site to provide benefits assistance. Over 350 Knoxville volunteers were on site to assist over 450 individuals, including using on- site HMIS registration to generate ID cards.

Project Homeless Connect Day in New York City was a collection of events in four of the five boroughs, including a census in Staten Island and Housing Fairs in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, persons living on the streets were welcomed at the Hanson Central United Methodist Church. Over 200 individuals received assistance with Housing Applications, benefits and entitlement information, medical and mental health services, job training and referrals, SSA homeless outreach, and immigration rights.

WASHINGTON, DC. When the December 8 inaugural National Project Homeless Connect Day is over, there will still be much to look forward to in the evolution of the Interagency Council's national partnership to engage persons who are homeless. More communities across the country have scheduled Project Homeless Connect events over the next few weeks.

Clarksville, Tennessee will hold a December 9 event, with Indianapolis and Minneapolis scheduled for December 13 and 14, respectively. Portland, Oregon, looks forward to a January 17 event, and Waco, Texas, will host Project Connect on January 27.

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. "New Haven has done a lot over the years to constructively meet the issues of the homeless in our community," said New Haven Mayor John DeStefano last week. "Yet, more must be done, if we are to end chronic homelessness in our community. This plan offers a challenge and an opportunity for us to do exactly that. " The historic New Haven Green was the site last week of the unveiling of the city's new plan. Community Services Administrator Sheila Allen Bell said more than 20 organizations helped develop the plan which takes "a regional approach to a regional problem."

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to keynote the unveiling, told the partners: "Through your plan, with its attention on additional targeted housing units, a Housing First approach, prevention in public systems through collaboration with state and local health care and treatment institutions, the record targeted resources of the federal government are intended to create results and outcomes."

The new 10-year plan is anchored in five goals: expanding permanent supportive housing opportunities; expanding employment opportunities; strengthening prevention efforts; engaging in public policy and public awareness efforts; and strengthening planning and coordination mechanisms related to implementing the plan. City of New Haven Homeless Advisory Commission Chair Gary F. Spinner, who also chaired the Steering Committee for the Plan (seen here presenting the final plan), said the city's goal is to create 392 units of permanent supportive housing, with 175 done in partnership with the Housing Authority of New Haven. The remaining 217 would be created through new construction or conversions of existing units. Money already earmarked to fight homelessness would be used to meet these objectives.

"We look forward to working with (New Haven) to make all of this come together to address the most needy," said United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Taylor Caswell, who also participated in the ceremonies.

Pictured here are (left to right): HUD Regional Director Caswell, Chair Spinner, Mayor DeStefano, Director Mangano, and Ms. Bell.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and Alachua County Commissioner Rodney Long joined forces last week in a county-wide summit to unveil their new 10-Year Plan for the region. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to keynote the unveiling at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Multipurpose Center, joined the partners for Gainesville Region /Alachua County Empowerment (GRACE), the results of six months' of planning by a broad partnership of public and private representatives.

Director Mangano applauded the planners for their survey of best practices nationally and their use of cost benefit analysis: "You have brought important new cost insights to the table from health care and law enforcement, and then set goals to change the status quo in your community." Based on local law enforcement estimates that $1 millin is being spent annually in addressing homelessness, planners developed an agenda of no-cost policy changes that could changes how law enforcement and the courts interact with many homeless individuals and expedite results that support people in accessing jobs and housing.

The Plan set goals of expanding housing opportunity, increasing access to services through a first entry/one stop center; increasing access to free medical care; providing supportive services (such as life skills, budgeting, job training, mentoring, etc.); increasing faith-based initiatives; reducing the number of homeless arrests; implementing an effective discharge planning system; and prevention through education, job training, and supportive services. The plan also calls for the creation of an Office of Homelessness to coordinate services, implement the Homeless Management Information System; seek funding, and facilitate the implementation of the 10-year plan.

In conducting cost benefit analysis, planners found that the Meridian Behavioral Healthcare's Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) reported that homeless patients stay approximately five days at CSU versus three to four days for non-homeless patients. The extra length of stay results in an additional cost of approximately $500 per homeless patient.

According to Shands Healthcare officials, two of their Gainesville hospitals incur over $3 million in uncompensated emergency room expenses due to homeless persons' visits to the emergency room (ER), which average approximately $700 per visit. Shands officials point to a high number of instances where the ER visit could have been avoided with improved access to preventive care.

Council Regional Coordinator Michael German also participated in the Gainesville events.

With this Special Issue of the e-news, we continue our coverage of excerpts from remarks by public sector partners ending chronic homelessness. These Words of the Week are from Catherine Kitchin, Director of the City of Norfolk Office to End Homelessness, created by Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim whose city recently completed its 10-Year Plan.

. . . I really think today will be the start of a new life for many people, and I wanted to thank the Council for your work in making this a national event. We really appreciate your charging us to do this. It wouldn't have happened on its own. Our Mayor is very pleased, and we've had help from almost every agency in the City.

. . . What an incredible thing is happening here in Norfolk as a result of Project Homeless Connect. We have literally been inundated with calls from people thanking us for doing this and wanting to help. They say they have wanted to do something but didn't know what or how. I was a little intimidated trying to pull this together with only about 5 weeks to plan, but a groundswell of support has buoyed us into creating an amazing event.

. . . We have over 70 medical professionals and about a dozen attorneys, 35 organizations including housing providers, and more than 100 citizen volunteers. Donated goods are pouring in, and it seems like I hardly have to ask before people say they want to provide.