Immediacy, hospitality, and community are the hallmarks of the Project Homeless Connect innovation which last week continued to take root in communities throughout the nation, as 39 cities and counties participated in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week facilitated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.

With jurisdictional leadership from mayors and county executives, help from over 6,100 volunteers, support from business, and the cooperation of service providers and state and federal agencies, more than 15,000 homeless men and women were welcomed back into the community and provided assistance that moves them closer to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. The welcoming spirit is essential to results. As one homeless participant reported in his exit interview, "I felt I could be honest to them today." As an immediate result of last week's National Project Homeless Connect Week, 835 homeless men and women were helped off the streets through a combination of shelter beds, treatment beds, and transitional housing. Another 147 were provided permanent housing.

The week began with a message of greeting and appreciation from President George W. Bush to "all those participating in National Project Homeless Connect Week 2006 for your hard work and generosity in answering the call to serve. By working together to serve a cause greater than self, we can strengthen our Nation, one person, one neighborhood, and one community at a time."

With the encouragement of the Council, federal agency representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were on-site at many of the Connect events to provide direct benefit application assistance. Pictured here is U.S. Department of Agriculture program specialist Alexis Lometz helping a homeless participant complete an application at the Morris County New Jersey PHC. 21 applications for food stamps were approved on-site that day.

The effectiveness of Project Homeless Connect events in building stronger collaborations between local officials, government programs, and service providers for the benefit of homeless people is seen in the following note written after one of last week's Connect events:

"I think all agencies that work with the homeless get tired and feel unappreciated by City and County governments from time to time. The (PHC) event . . brought us all together to work with each other in a way that we have not been able to accomplish on our own! New lines of communication have opened. . . This means only good things for our homeless population in the future."

The size and scope of the Connect events varied:

• At a statewide Connect event in Providence, Rhode Island, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano greeted volunteers and homeless participants (pictured here, top) and joined Governor Donald Carcieri at a press conference where the Governor announced a 10-Year Action Plan to End Homelessness.
• Asheville, North Carolina hosted that state's very first Project Homeless Connect. Area churches, donating their vans and drivers, sought out the area's homeless particularly those living in campgrounds. More than 200 homeless men and women were greeted by volunteers and helped with a variety of services including health care for homeless veterans, landlord services, and haircuts. Asheville Mayor Carol Bellamy was on hand along with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Bob Young, and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Eddie Woodhouse. This week, the state is hosting a North Carolina Leadership Summit on 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness for 10-year plan leaders in the state with United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano as the invited opening speaker.
• Other communities hosting their first Project Homeless Connect during 2006 National Week included Louisville, Kentucky; Missoula, Montana; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Huntington, WVA; Norwich and New London, CT; Morris County, NJ; San Antonio, TX; and several California communities (see related story). Orlando City Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty collaborated to host a joint city-county event. San Juan hosted a multi-day event.
• For Knoxville, Tennessee, this was their second year participating in the National PHC event. With weather dipping into the teens, the offering of food, blankets, and other clothing along with a variety of services inside the old Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center was particularly timely. This was also the second year of participation in the national effort by cities including Miami led by Mayor Manny Diaz (pictured here, middle, with HUD Regional Director Young to his left); Philadelphia; New York City; St. Louis, MO; Clarksville,TN; Nashua, NH; Bridgeport, CT; Pittsburgh, PA; Quincy, MA; San Jose and Hollywood/West Hollywood, CA; and Columbia, SC.

Project Homeless Connect events create greater awareness and support for jurisdictional 10-Year Plan efforts and provide planners with important feedback from homeless consumers. National Project Homeless Connect Week events in Southeastern Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island, Columbia, South Carolina, and Minneapolis/Hennepin County, Minnesota are particularly useful examples of how PHC events can strategically further the goals and objectives of 10-Year Plan efforts.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. Just a week after Hennepin County Commissioners and the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to approve Heading Home Hennepin, a $45 million joint city-county 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman greeted the more than 500 volunteers and 1300 homeless individuals and families who gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center for the 4th Connect event to be held in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The community's first Connect event was held at the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis during last year's National Project Homeless Connect Day. This was followed by a second event in March held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and a June event in St. Paul, notable for being the first PHC in the nation to be organized by two police officers. Community leaders and stakeholders engaged in the Minneapolis/Hennepin County 10-year planning effort had been able to witness the need and results from these earlier PHC events.

As the volunteers last week greeted and helped participants navigate to a variety of services with minimal confusion and maximum benefit, Commissioner Dorfman credited the Dean of the University of Minnesota School of Architecture for creating the layout design that facilitated the smooth flow of services. In the midst of it all was Minneapolis/ Hennepin County homeless coordinator Cathy ten Broeke, who will be leading the 10-Year Plan implementation effort and is the lead Connect organizer, who noted the importance of Connect events to building new partnerships and streamlining processes to focus on results. For this latest Connect event, organizers raised $42,000 through an individual donation, philanthropic, and business contributions to create an emergency fund used to "break down remaining barriers to immediate assistance." Funds were used for such things as buying bus cards for every person to ensure transportation to follow-up appointments; to purchase hard-to-find x-tra large sizes of clothing and shoes; first and last month rental assistance; medical and dental services including dentures; and DMV ID cards. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Daryl Hernandez joined community leaders at the event.

Both Minneapolis and Hennepin County have included resources in their 2007 budgets to begin immediate implementation of the Heading Home Hennepin 10- Year Plan, including a $100,000 commitment by the city for a new street outreach pilot program and $2.5 million by the county to fulfill a range of plan recommendations including public health and homeless veteran outreach efforts, refugee housing, and capital costs.

NORWICH AND NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT. Like Minneapolis/Hennepin County, the 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week events in these two Connecticut communities came just a week after southeastern Connecticut community leaders unveiled a regional 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. For Norwich and New London, which held their events on Thursday, December 9 from 9-12 and 1-3 respectively, this was their first Connect event and the first step in the implementation of their regional 10-Year Plan.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator John O'Brien who had accompanied Council Executive Director Philip Mangano to the 10-Year Plan unveiling and attended the Connect event in New London, congratulated the two communities noting, "I think it's a very important message that just a week ago, southeastern Connecticut announced their plan, and this week they're doing this event." A combined 55 volunteers assisted nearly 175 homeless men and women at the two locations with services that included health care, Department of Social Services benefits application assistance, VA outreach, housing application assistance, bicycle repair, Goodwill clothing vouchers, transportation assistance, haircuts, and vision exams and eyeglasses through LenCrafters "Gift of Sight" program (see related story).

Pictured here is the Connecticut Department of Labor Career Express Mobile Employment Assistance Van which was brought to the Norwich and New London Connect event sites by trained staff. The van is equipped with a satellite dish enabling those seeking employment to use computer workstations on the van to directly access the Connecticut Job Bank and other on-line employment services and complete on-line applications.

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA. As Mayor Howard Coble and 10-Year Plan leaders in Columbia, South Carolina continue their efforts to refine and establish priorities for plan implementation, the city participated in National Project Homeless Connect Week with an event held at the Taylor Street winter shelter. Mayor Coble invited United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano to join him at the event and related press conference and also to meet with city and community leaders at a working luncheon to discuss the community's 10-Year Plan implementation. Among those attending the city hall working luncheon (pictured here) were Mayor Coble, Mack Bennett, Chairman of United Way; Ike McLeese, President of the Chamber of Commerce; Matt Kennell, Executive Director of City Center Partnership; Jim Apple, President of First Citizen Bank; Dr. Moss Blachmon, educator & researcher; South Carolina Cares Chairman Sam Tenenbaum; Rick Silver, Principal, Chernoff Newman; Charles Austin, City Manager; and Council Regional Coordinator Michael German.

Earlier, Director Mangano and Mayor Coble visited with volunteers and some of the 218 homeless men and women who were assisted at the event with a variety of services including medical care, mental health and behavioral health services, housing and benefits application assistance, haircuts, wheelchair repair, job training and employment information. Breakfast, lunch and hygiene products were also available.

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. At a statewide Project Homeless Connect held at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence on December 5, Governor Donald Carcieri announced a State Action Plan to End Homelessness. The Governor was joined by Housing Resources Commission Chair Susan Baxter; Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Director Susan Bodington, Housing and Community Development Director Noreen Shawcross, and Department of Administration Division of Planning Associate Director Kevin Flynn. The Plan built on the work begun during the federally sponsored Policy Academy process by a committee of state officials and stakeholders and was co-chaired by Ms. Bodington and Ms. Shawcross.

The state Action Plan calls for the development of 600 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families, and will build on existing initiatives including the Neighborhood Opportunity Program, and the Rhode Island Housing Rental Assistance Program. The $50 million housing bond approved by voters this year will provide additional resources. Prevention efforts will be strengthened by expanding the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program that provides security deposit and first month rental assistance, and enhancement of prisoner re-entry programs and state agency discharge planning protocols.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who earlier that morning had helped to greet many of the 450 homeless men and women who came to the Cathedral seeking assistance and who had spoken at a rally for volunteers, joined Governor Carcieri at the press conference and affirmed the day's two events as signs of "Rhode Island's hospitality to homeless people in policy and services."

The one-day, one stop person-to-person approach to engaging and connecting homeless people to community services embodied in Project Homeless Connect, inaugurated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson in 2004, represented an innovation to the existing service provider system. Last week's National Project Homeless Connect Week included two noteworthy examples of communities innovating within the innovation of PHC.

YOUTH CONNECT

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. For National Project Homeless Connect Week, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates followed up the success of last month's Oakland/Berkeley Connect event at the Howie Harp Center in Oakland, which provided assistance to over 500 homeless individuals and families, with a Youth Connect targeted specifically to homeless and at risk young adults ages 18-25 in the Berkeley/Oakland area. 30 volunteers provided assistance to 55 young homeless men and women. "Ending chronic homelessness starts with preventing it. Youth Connect is an effort to reach young homeless people before their problems compound and lead them into long term homelessness," said the mayor's senior aide Julie Sinai noting this was the second Youth Connect held by the city this year.

The Youth Connect was held at Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel (YEAH!) at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross in Berkeley and was organized by Ms. Sinai, YEAH! Executive Director Sharon Leyden, and Jane Micallef from the city's Housing Department. Volunteer and donation coordination was handled by Gloria Bruce of The Berkeley Alliance, a group formed to strengthen collaboration between the City, the University of California at Berkeley, the Berkeley Unified School District, and the broader Berkeley community. The Berkeley Alliance became involved with the Youth Connect event through Mayor Bates' Champions for Kids program which works to increase volunteerism focused on youth.

A $250 donation from the Berkeley Police Department along with other community donations helped provide t-shirts and food items; other donations included socks, YMCA passes, Cliff bars, sleeping bags, jackets and parkas from North Face and 70 backpacks from the Bayer Corporation which is headquartered in Berkeley. On-site services included warrant support and advice; medical services; dental and vision screening; mental health, substance abuse, smoking cessation, and family reunification assistance; social services application assistance; animal care services; hair cuts; library cards; bicycle repair; and free cell phone calls and voicemail setup. Participating agencies included the Berkeley Departments of Housing and Health and Human Services, YEAH!, the Fred Finch Youth Center, Suitcase Clinic, and Lifelong Medical Care, Inc. Berkeley Police Sergeant David White appreciated the opportunity to participate in the event, saying "Youth Connect gives the police department a more positive way to be involved by creating a different type of environment to connect with homeless youth."

Berkeley City Councilman Laurie Capitelli and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera greeted and seated each client at a restaurant style lunch provided by the Caffe Venezia restaurant. Pictured here, l-r, is Berkeley Police Animal Control Officer Melvin Fulton, Coordinator Cabrera, and Councilman Capitelli at the event.

LEGISLATIVE CONNECT

QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS. Since implementation of Quincy's 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness began last year, the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness on the streets and in shelters in this community on the south shore of Boston has decreased from 142 to 78. The Housing First efforts led by John Yazwinski, Executive Director of Father Bill's Place, have helped move men and women off the streets into permanent housing as part of the community's 10-Year Plan. The Plan was developed by a 19-member Quincy Leadership Council on Chronic Homelessness appointed by Quincy Mayor William J. Phelan and co-chaired by South Shore Chamber of Commerce President Peter Forman, Attorney Jeffrey Graeber, and South Shore Savings Bank COO John Boucher. Mayor Phelan has supported implementation of the plan with city housing resources including HOME and CDBG funds the city receives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week, Mayor Phelan and community leaders held a "Legislative Connect" ( pictured here, bottom) to better acquaint their elected state legislators with the community's 10- Year Plan effort and to identify state programs and budget items that could further assist the community in developing permanent supportive housing.

"You will walk away with blessings upon blessings" is how one volunteer described her experience assisting some of the more than 1000 homeless individuals and families at San Antonio's Project Homeless Connect on Saturday, December 9. This was San Antonio's first Project Homeless Connect which expanded the community's annual Project Under The Bridge. The hospitality of the person-to-person approach is at the heart of Project Homeless Connect efforts which seek to reach out to homeless individuals and families in the community and welcome them back into the community. Project Homeless Connect events are an especially effective tool for 10-Year Plan efforts to engage the larger community in finding solutions to the homelessness of their neighbors. Volunteers for PHC events have included individual citizens, faith based congregations, and employees participating in corporate sponsored "Volunteer Day" programs.

Volunteers at the one-day, one stop Connect events greet and assist homeless consumers access the services they need. San Francisco, which pioneered the Project Homeless Connect innovation and held its 14th bimonthly PHC during 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week, has served as a model for engaging and training community volunteers. Training includes not only familiarizing the volunteers with services being offered during the events but also increases their ability to comfortably greet and converse with homeless participants. Over 18,000 San Franciscans have volunteered at PHC events.

A particularly effective approach identified by San Francisco creates a buddy system during the event, with one volunteer staying with the homeless guest during the entire experience. In its effort to make Connect events even more consumer centric, San Francisco has expanded the buddy system to include encouraging and assisting the homeless guest with follow up appointments. San Francisco organizers found that the level of trust created during the PHC event between the volunteers and the guests has helped to significantly increase the "show up" rate for follow up appointments. This immediate improvement in the show up rate was among the "results" reported this week by Glendale, California officials who sponsored their first Connect event last week.

In addition to the on-site volunteers, PHC events also utilize volunteers in outreach and fundraising/product donation efforts and event day transportation.

An intake volunteer at the Minneapolis/Hennepin County Connect event last week jotted down some of her thoughts from the day: "Lazo (not his real name) had a profound impact on me. When we first met, I knew that he had a sense of shame or hopelessness. He didn't know the questions to ask - he just knew that he was without a home, needed a job, wanted a job and wanted to get out of the downward spiral he was on. I talked with him, asked questions of what he might need, we went to the employment area, I stood in line with him, I modeled how you ask questions, I proudly introduced him to people who might be able to provide services for him. Little by little, he told me of other issues that he needed help with - how to take care of an outstanding fine for a DUI, how to get to the library for free computer classes, and we looked at training programs to prepare him for a better job. All under one roof, on one floor, with one volunteer-me-helping him navigate. I suggested that we go to one more provider, get lunch and then visit several more. He said, no, he wasn't hungry. I encouraged him to join me for lunch. He said, 'you mean, you'd have lunch with me?' I will never forget that question. My answer, was 'of course. I'd be honored. And I truly was."

Pictured here, top, are volunteers at the Minneapolis Connect wearing their "Ending Homelessness One Person at a Time" t-shirts. Pictured, middle, are volunteers at the Miami Cares Connect. Pictured bottom, New York City Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Rob Hess and Common Ground Community President Roseanne Haggerty with volunteers and participants at the NYC Connect.

The participation of LensCrafters employees at the New London and Norwich, Connecticut (see related story) and other Project Homeless Connect events last week is just one example of the business and corporate support that has been leveraged in communities around the country implementing the Project Homeless Connect innovation.

Project Homeless Connect has been described as the antithesis of compassion fatigue. In community after community, evidence of business and volunteer support abounds showing that Project Homeless Connect releases pent-up community compassion and provides the opportunity for every day citizens and the business community to take action to help end the homelessness of their neighbors. Many small businesses support local Connect efforts through employee volunteering and by donations of food, clothing, blankets, hygiene products, signage, flyers, and other supplies. Employers are also encouraged to do onsite job interviews during Connect events. Companies also make contributions to community utility and emergency rental assistance homeless prevention funds.

Among the examples of corporate involvement:

LensCrafters employees at the Connecticut, Minneapolis, and other Connect events were participating in the company's "Gift of Sight" program which offers free vision care services in partnership with local Lions Clubs, United Way agencies, schools, churches and other non profit organizations.

Many businesses support the San Francisco Project Homeless Connect effort and are identified on the city's PHC website. FedEx has been identified as playing an increasingly important role in reunification efforts, making their extensive database capabilities available to assist in locating and ultimately reuniting family/friends with Connect Clients. Free checking accounts through Wells Fargo Bank was a new service offered at last week's event.

For the Berkeley Youth Connect last week, Bayer Corporation donated 70 backpacks. Target Corporation supported the Minneapolis Connect "emergency fund" (see related story).

Denver, which has held 3 Connect events to date and will host another one in February, has also been very successful in securing business and corporate support. 600 homeless men and women were assisted at Denver's October PHC by over 700 volunteers, a majority of whom were COMCAST employees participating in the company's 6th annual COMCAST CARES DAY held nationwide on the first Saturday in October. Comcast also donated $50,000 to Denver's Road Home 10-Year Plan effort.

Last month, the Portland Trail Blazers sponsored Portland's most recent Project Homeless Connect. 6000 homeless and at risk individuals and families were invited to be the guests at the Trail Blazers Harvest Dinner. In addition to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the guests received medical services; access to educational, legal and housing resources; job counseling; haircuts; and pet care.

California had more communities - 13 - participating in National Project Homeless Connect Week than any other state. As noted elsewhere in the e- news, Berkeley held a Youth Connect targeted to young homeless adults ages 18-25 and San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom originated the Project Homeless Connect innovation in October 2004, hosted its 14th PHC engaging 1993 homeless clients and 1600 volunteers. Ever evolving to make the event more consumer centric, San Francisco organizers have integrated a family-friendly intake area into the auditorium set-up and also eliminated the waiting line to enter by distributing tickets with appointed times.

Los Angeles County officials organized an 8-site event that included Downtown Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, two sites in West Los Angeles, Glendale/Burbank/Pasadena, Hollywood/West Hollywood, Long Beach, and Pomona. More than 4300 homeless clients were assisted at the 8 sites by over 700 volunteers. Services offered at the sites included flu and pneumonia vaccination shots, health screenings, HIV/AIDS testing, Department of Social Services benefits application information, children and family services information, mental health services, legal and advocacy information, hygiene kits, lunch, and dental education. Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency (LAHSA) employees volunteered at each of the sites "in a client support function" to ensure that homeless individuals were connected to the right people to get the services they needed. Of the 8 sites, only Hollywood/West Hollywood had participated in last year's first National Project Homeless Connect Day.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera attended both the Downtown (Skid Row) and South Los Angeles events. Pictured here are officials at the South Los Angeles Connect press conference including, LA County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, LA County Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen, Reverend Leonard Jackson, Dr. Marv Southard (DMH), Bryce Yokomizo (DPSS), and LAHSA Executive Director Rebecca Isaacs, along with Council Regional Coordinator Cabrera.

Contra Costa County, which as one of 11 communities selected for funding through the historic federal multi-agency Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness has provided permanent supportive housing to chronically homeless men and women through the initiative, representing over 600 years of cumulative homelessness ended, hosted its first Connect event in Richmond, CA. Officials report that 509 homeless clients/households were served, among whom 65 received dental exams/cleaning; 22 HIV tests; 69 Homeless Court cases were heard, 496 lunches were served; 24 were provided shelter beds and all received blankets, coats or other clothing items. Hair cuts and vision care services were among the most frequently requested services to be added to future Connect events.

The City and County of Riverside collaborated on their first Project Homeless Connect and report that 158 volunteers and 258 homeless individuals participated in the event, as a result of which 77 left the streets and 13 received permanent housing.

At the City of San Jose's Connect event, bus tokens and "warm, dry socks" were among the most popular items among the 500 homeless men and women who came to the City's 3rd Connect event. In addition to socks and bus tokens, clients had access to a variety of services including medical care through the Gardner Clinic, dental exams through the Valley Home Health Program, haircuts offered by Gavilan Community College cosmetology students, housing, employment and benefits assistance information, and toiletries, clothing, sack lunches, clean towels and hair cuts.

20 jurisdictions in California have committed to the 10-Year Plan process and California state officials are currently reviewing a draft statewide plan.

2004 - 1st Project Homeless Connect inaugurated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (shown here) in October 2004

2005 - 21 communities participate in first nationwide Project Homeless Connect Day facilitated by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness on December 8

2006 - 39 communities participate in nationwide Project Homeless Connect Week December 4-9 facilitated by U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week:

Number of Connect events: 39

Number of homeless consumers engaged: 15,228 and still counting

Number of volunteers engaged: 6,132 and still counting

Number of homeless consumers leaving the streets: 835

Number of homeless consumers provided permanent housing: 147

IN THIS ISSUE, the e-news highlights remarks of United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at the Columbia, South Carolina December 8 Project Homeless Connect. Columbia was one of 39 communities participating in the 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week facilitated by the Council.

. . . This is what Project Homeless Connect is all about. Welcoming our homeless neighbors back into our community and providing the resources all in one place to create the trajectory to end their homelessness.

. . . You know what happens when homeless people are on the street? People pass by and avoid looking at them. They avert their eyes. They don't want to see the human tragedy. They don't want to encounter the broken lives. They don't want to take responsibility.

. . .Well what's happening today is the remedy for all that denial. Instead of exiling homeless people to the periphery of our community, we're going to welcome them into our midst.

. . . Instead of ignoring them, we're going to give our undivided attention. Instead of treating them like strangers and outcasts, we're going to embrace them as friends and neighbors.

. . . Instead of averting our eyes and pretending that they aren't there, we're going to look them right in the eye and offer them what they need.

. . . Instead of hiding from the responsibility, we're stepping up and taking responsibility.

. . . That's what Project Homeless Connect is about. We're going to welcome our homeless neighbors into our vast conspiracy of care and concern, of resources and sources of innovation and solutions.

. . . When I ask homeless people what they want - and I ask all over the country - they're clear. They never ask for a pill, a program, or a protocol. They want one thing. A place. A place to live.

. . . So let's connect today and offer our neighbors our welcome, our focus, and our service. When we do, we are fulfilling the highest calling of being an American and being a person. We are placing ourselves in the service of others. And at this time of year, there is no better offering to make. God speed your mission and bless your connections!

email: ichnews@setechnology.com

web: http://www.usich.gov