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IN
THE NATION: THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT WEEK
LAUNCHES WITH "WELCOME" TO HOMELESS NEIGHBORS IN 25 CITIES THIS
WEEK, WITH MORE THAN 100 CITIES PARTNERED DURING THIS
YEAR
THIS
WEEK, across the nation in 25 cities and counties of every size, homeless
neighbors will be welcomed into "the living room of the community" by
elected officials and community volunteers seeking to make resources more
available and accessible to end homelessness, during the United States
Interagency Council on Homelessness' Third Annual National Project
Homeless Connect Week.
With
this issue, the e-news begins its coast to coast coverage of the 2007
National Project Homeless Connect Week, and we'll continue coverage over
the next several issues to bring you the highlights, best practices, and
results in partner communities this year. In this story, we focus on
highlights from
San Francisco
, where
Project Connect first was established and
New York City
. Fifteen of this week's PHC
cities are returning to the annual event, and five are inaugural sites for
this year's event.
"Today, here
in
San
Francisco
, Project Homeless Connect becomes the
living room of the community," noted United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to join San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for the kickoff of the city's 19th PHC at
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. "We welcome those who have been
metaphorically and literally exiled to the periphery of our community into
our house of hospitality and welcome, to offer the resources to remedy the
long misery of homelessness."
"We are
indebted to Mayor Newsom and to 10-Year Plan Chair and Champion Angela
Alioto for creating this innovation, and to Alex Tourk, Judith Klain, and
Trent Rohrer for their continuing support for sustainability. As we launch
the Council's Third Annual National Project Homeless Connect Week, we
recognize the growing number of communities who have joined the National
Project Homeless Connect partnership coordinated by the Council." Pictured
here are (left to right): Director Mangano, Mayor Newsom, and Ms. Klain.
With the
assembled volunteers, Director Mangano (pictured below) presented Ms.
Alioto with the President's Gold Volunteer Service Award for her volunteer
service to her community, noting that Ms. Alioto's record is " a model of
community and civic involvement." "She has been shaped and formed by a
Gospel of proactive initiative and priority for the poorest of the poor,"
he said, adding: "She fulfills the description given by Winston Churchill:
'We make a living by what we do. We make a life by what we give.' "
After
addressing the assembled volunteers, Director Mangano joined Mayor Newsom
to meet with private sector representatives partnering in PHC, including
funders, and media.
IN
NEW YORK
CITY
, 31 persons
experiencing chronic homelessness moved to housing as Common Ground
Community's Street
to Home initiative married the engagement and one-stop
elements of Project Homeless Connect with a successful targeting strategy
for the streets. In
Brooklyn
, individuals
targeted through the Street to Home registry moved to YMCA beds,
supportive housing and rented apartments.
Street to Home
incorporates strategic targeting of individuals and intensive followup
modeled on the successful approach used in the
United
Kingdom
's Rough Sleepers Initiative. The
Rough Sleepers Initiative achieved a 75% reduction in street homelessness
across
England
and prompted deeper
investment in homelessness from Parliament.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: 10,000 HOMELESS PEOPLE WELCOMED IN NATIONAL PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT WEEK IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION
LAST WEEK, across the nation in 25 cities and counties of every
size, more than 10,000 homeless neighbors were welcomed into "the living
room of the community" by more than 4,000 elected officials and community
volunteers seeking to make resources more available and accessible to end
homelessness, during the United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness' Third Annual National Project Homeless Connect Week.
With this issue, the e-news continues its coast to coast coverage of
the 2007 National Project Homeless Connect Week. We'll continue coverage
over the next several issues to bring you the highlights, best practices,
and results in partner communities this year. In this story, we focus on
highlights from around the nation and follow with stories that focus on
new partnerships and resources at this year's events, and a focus on the
work of PHC volunteers.
From Nashua, New Hampshire to Los Angeles, from Morristown, New Jersey
to Oakland, California, elected officials and community volunteers last
week extended a "welcome" to their homeless neighbors at events in 25
cities during the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness' Third
Annual National Project Homeless Connect Week.
 IN SAN JOSE, Council Director Philip Mangano last week
joined San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed at the city's Convention Center for San
Jose's fifth PHC event with Santa Clara County. Mayor Reed, a Charter
Signatory to the America's Road Home Statement, joined Director Mangano at
a mid-day rally and results update for PHC volunteers and guests. San Jose
Housing Director Leslye Krutko, who participates in California Keys, the
partnership of the state's 10-Year Plan cities, introduced Director
Mangano. San Jose City Councilmembers Nora Campos, Pierluigi Oliveiro, and
Judy Chirco also attended the event, as did PHC Project Manager Fernando
Cazares. As noted last week, San Jose and Santa Clara County have utilized
Americorps volunteers to build their event, and the volunteers were on
site for the day. Regional Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera also participated.
San Jose's event was marked by an extensive outreach effort, and Mayor
Reed noted the need for engagement in his remarks. "The goal of the event
is to reach out and make connections with the homeless people who are not
currently taking advantage of all the services available in the city and
the county," Mayor Reed said. "We have to do an extensive outreach effort
to make sure that happens; it's been a success, and we know it works."
Mayor Reed is pictured here with Director Mangano at the event.
San Jose's Mission Community College provided volunteers who visited
outdoor locations including bridges, rivers, railroad tracks, and other
locations to make the PHC known to potential guests. Read "Words of the
Week" in this e-news for the story of one volunteer's extraordinary
birthday experience of volunteering at the San Jose PHC event.
Just after the PHC event, Santa Clara County announced major changes in
the UPLIFT transit pass program that reaches persons who are homeless,
more than doubling the number of people who will be served by the program.
Lack of transportation was named as a key barrier faced by individuals in
accessing and keeping employment. Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
offers over 700 monthly reduced-fare bus passes to homeless clients, and
the new program will offer 1,850. The UPLIFT program requires clients to
receive services and meet each month with their case managers to ensure
that they are taking accessing all services for which they are eligible.
IN THE CITIES: PARTNER PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT CITIES
ADVANCE STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNICATIONS, ENGAGEMENT, AND
PARTNERSHIP
SAN FRANCISCO SUPPORTS FAMILY CONNECTIONS AND REUNIFICATION WITH
PHONE BANK. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. It's called the "quiet
success story" of the City's PHC history: a Sprint- Nextel phone bank that
"connects" guests to family and friends with whom they have lost touch.
Reunification opportunities were part of the City's 10- Year Plan, and in
an upcoming e-news, we'll look at how San Francisco and other cities have
helped restore family connections as a Plan goal.
Modern means of communication are one gap closed by the phone bank, but
another San Francisco example shows that personal visits also matter.
Persons who are homeless in San Francisco received another source of
encouragement to take part in Project Homeless Connect: a pair of local
probation officers who developed a strategy to visit their probationers on
the streets made sure to mention the upcoming event and urge their clients
to visit and access resources. We'll look at these mobile officers, their
strategy, and some of their counterparts in other cities in an upcoming
issue.
USING THE AIRWAYS TO MOBILIZE CIVIC WILL. Spreading the word on
Project Homeless Connect offers long-term opportunities to build community
awareness and participation. In Lincoln County, Oregon, where an
inaugural PHC was convened last month, kickoff events - including webcast
remarks from United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive
Director Philip Mangano - are playing on local cable access television.
 JURISDICTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP SHOW COMMITMENT
TO PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT. IN LOS ANGELES, four sites hosted
Project Homeless Connect events last week. Council Director Philip Mangano
(pictured here) visited the Skid Row rally site, where City and County
officials were also present. Miriam Long, Deputy to Supervisors' Chair
Yvonne Burke introduced Director Mangano. Leslie Wise, Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa's point person on homelessness, also attended the
event, as did Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Executive Director
Rebecca Isaacs, Michael Castillo, County CEO's Office PHC Coordinator,
Garrison Smith, County Homeless Coordinator, Kathy House, County CEO's
Office, and Louisa Ollague, Deputy to Supervisor Gloria Molina.
 Former Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Zev
Yaroslavsky issued a Proclamation for the day, which directed the County
Departments of Public Social Services, Mental Health, Public Health,
including Alcohol and Drug Program Administration, Internal Services,
Public Defender, Probation, the Sheriff, and the Los Angeles County Police
to participate in the event, and to work with the Chief Executive Office
to ensure effective coordination for the event. All County departments
were directed to encourage their staffs to volunteer on the day of the
event and accommodate reasonable requests for personal leave by County
staff that choose to volunteer, and the County's Chief Executive Officer
was to coordinate with County departments regarding deployment of County
staff who will work in both an official and voluntary capacity at the
event. Director Mangano is pictured here with Miriam Long, Deputy to Chair
of the Board of Supervisors Yvonne Burke, Garrison Smith, County Homeless
Coordinator, and LAPD Officers taking part.
FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP WITH PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT. IN NASHUA,
NEW HAMPSHIRE, partnership from government was in evidence, as United
States Department of Health and Human Services Regional Director and
current Regional Federal Interagency Council Chair Brian Golden attended
the Nashua event. This was his third PHC, as he previously visited
Springfield, MA and Manchester, NH. While in Nashua, Director Golden also
had the had the opportunity to tour Buckingham Place, a VA Grant and Per
Diem program for homeless veterans opened by Harbor Homes earlier this
year. He also met with Nashua Mayor-elect Donnalee Lozeau.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL PROJECT
HOMELESS CONNECT WEEK IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE
NATION
Across the nation in 25 cities and counties of every size, more than
10,000 homeless neighbors were welcomed into "the living room of the
community" by more than 6,000 elected officials and community volunteers
seeking to make resources more available and accessible to end
homelessness, during the United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness' Third Annual National Project Homeless Connect Week.
With this issue, the e-news completes its coast to coast coverage of
the 2007 National Project Homeless Connect Week.
IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, Mayor Eddie Perez and United States
Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano
welcomed 450 homeless neighbors to St. Patrick St. Anthony Franciscan
Center for Project Homeless Connect. Nurses from Charter Oak Health Center
provided foot-washing followed by new warm socks for guests. Mayor Perez
and Director Mangano are pictured here as they welcomed each guest to the
event, along with Plan Chair Bill Farley. United States Department of
Health and Human Services Regional Director and current Regional
Interagency Council Chair Brian Golden also attended the event, his fourth
Project Homeless Connect event in the region.
The Hartford Continuum of Care, Hartford Commission to End Homelessness
and Connecticut Coalition for End Homelessness organized the event,
inviting volunteers with a recognition of the event's national
implications and origins: "Every year, on a national level, thousands of
community volunteers partner with city government, non-profits and the
private sector to provide a one-stop shop of health and human services for
homeless individuals and families. By participating, you will be raising
awareness of the services you provide in the community and extending the
opportunity for the homeless to connect with these services. The goal of
Hartford Project Homeless Connect is to provide easy access to services
and resources that support the transition of the City's homeless off the
streets and/or shelters and into housing."
 The Hartford Wolf Pack Hockey Team, which is an American
Hockey League Team affiliated with the New York Rangers supported the
event, too, when, on December 7, the team invited game attendees to enter
for free by bringing coats, hats, scarves for the Project Homeless
Connect. The team also provided box lunches for the one-stop. Pictured
here is Mayor Perez speaking to the volunteers before the doors were
opened.
 IN MIAMI, nearly 500 homeless individuals were
welcomed by 200 volunteers to the third Miami Cares event. Miami Cares Day
is organized by the City of Miami's Homeless Assistance Program, which
aims to identify and engage homeless individuals, and to place them into
appropriate housing, facilitate employability skills, create a work
history and instill life management responsibilities, thereby
strengthening their ties to the community. More than 90 individuals left
the streets through resources accessed at the event. United States
Interagency Council on Homelessness Team Leader Michael German is pictured
here as he met with Miami Mayor Manny Diaz prior to the event.
"Miami Cares is a day we set aside to show that the City of Miami cares
for the homeless population through catering to the participants and
providing the tools to get them off the streets all in one place," said
Sergio Torres, Administrator for the City of Miami's Homeless Assistance
Program. The Miami Homeless Assistance Program is part of Mayor Manny
Diaz's 10-Year Plan which has reduced chronic homelessness by 50%. The
Plan sets a goal of providing services to hundreds of homeless individuals
to engage them and help break the cycle of chronic homelessness in the
city. Miami Cares is different in that it allows the homeless individual
to provide his or her own diagnosis of needs. By allowing people to make
their own decisions, it is the hope of the City of Miami to connect with
homeless persons not engaged in services.
Partners of the Miami Cares III include City of Miami NET, Miami Rescue
Mission, Miami Dade Homeless Trust, and Miami Coalition for the Homeless,
Inc.
WHAT'S NEXT? As communities wrap up their National Week events,
others continue to plan for 2008. In San Francisco, where Project Homeless
Connect began, two January events will mark the 20th PHC. On January 7, in
celebration of PHC's success, volunteers will host a special Project
Homeless Connect at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in conjunction with the
start of Mayor's Newsom's second term in office. Later that day, a special
Volunteer Recognition will take place for the over 16,000 volunteers who
have supported San Francisco's "welcome."
Project Homeless Connect events are also scheduled in several Michigan
counties as part of the Statewide Campaign to End Homelessness, and
statewide in New Jersey in conjunction with its Point-in-Time count.
Events are also scheduled in Anchorage, Beaverton, Oregon, and Waco,
Texas.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT INNOVATION REACHES MILESTONE AS HUDSON NJ BECOMES 100TH PARTICIPATING JURISDICTION
 NEW JERSEY. If actions speak louder than words, the citizens, community leaders, and elected and appointed officials of New Jersey have set a marker in the National Partnership to End Homelessness with 43 Project Homeless Connect events last Thursday in 20 counties covering the state from end to end including the Morris County Connect held during December’s 2006 National PHC Week. This was one of two firsts last week as Hudson County became the 100th local jurisdiction to adopt the PHC innovation since its origination in San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom in October 2004 and promotion by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness as a best practice.
The state “was lit up” noted one organizer, who said the widespread publicity including recruitment of volunteers and donations for events at more than 40 sites created statewide awareness and focus on solutions to homelessness among the citizens of New Jersey on that day. The effort, timed to coincide with the 2007 Point in Time count, was led by the New Jersey Alliance on the Homeless and Randi Moore of Monarch Housing Associates with the support of the United Way, the New Jersey Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Representatives of numerous federal agencies including the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture were on hand providing application assistance and information on food stamps, housing, social security, and support services. With such a large undertaking, results are still being tabulated but data reported from 18 of the 20 counties show 4,192 homeless guests were assisted by 735 volunteers.
 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, attended Connect events in Paterson in Passaic County and Jersey City in Hudson County, speaking with the organizers, homeless guests, volunteers and local and state and federal officials in attendance. Director Mangano was accompanied by Samuel Miller of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development New York Regional Office who on detail to the Council has been working for months with event organizers and community 10-Year Plan efforts throughout New Jersey, and newly named Region 2 Council Coordinator Robert Cardillo. At the Paterson St. Joseph Hospital Regional Medical Center Harbor House Connect location, Director Mangano greeted homeless guests, thanked volunteers, and met with New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, Freeholder Director Elease Evans and HUD field office director Diane Johnson and discussed emergency room homeless cost data with Emergency Services Director and 10-Year Plan Co-chair Dr. James Pruden.
Traveling to the Jersey City Armory Connect location, Director Mangano spoke with New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Director of Supportive Housing and Special Needs Pamela McCrory; and Hudson County 10-Year Plan Co-Chairs Bishop Thomas Donato and United Way President Daniel Altilio, who last fall helped organize a meeting of United Way Presidents throughout New Jersey with Director Mangano. While in Hudson County, Director Mangano was invited to inform the Board of Chosen Freeholders about the national effort to end homelessness. At the Board meeting, County Executive and 10-Year Plan Co-chair Thomas DeGise presented his State of the County address. Mr. DeGise devoted a significant portion of his address to the issue of chronic homelessness including the estimated 14% who are veterans, saying: “ In a sense, they remain on the battlefield. We must finally bring them home”. He presented a resolution, which the Freeholders adopted, calling on Governor Corzine to create a statewide system of county-based Trust Funds to prevent and end homelessness. See related Words of Week story this issue for excerpts from Mr. DeGise's State of the County address.
Homeless Trust Funds are a dedicated source of public funds, such as document recording fees, real estate transfer taxes and sales taxes, generally established through ordinance or legislation. Funds are used for a variety of prevention and intervention services including security deposits, eviction and foreclosure prevention assistance, case management, housing and supportive services.
The 43 PHC events in New Jersey provide many examples of partnerships between the public and private sectors. In Mercer County, Tyco International which is supporting the county's 10-Year Plan implementation, also helped with the planning of last weeks PHC including the participation of one of its executives as a volunteer. Master level social work interns from Rutgers University helped plan and organize events in Middlesex County. In rural Sussex County where organizers faced limited transportation options, a telephone number for a local Baptist Church was printed on the event flyer and volunteers from the church were on call to provide transportation as needed. In Mercer County, five Temple University dental students performed over 200 dental exams. Let's Rock America, a New Jersey online music magazine for independent musicians held a concert to collect blankets. The 200 blankets were distributed at the PHC events. United Ways from across the state were involved in events in a number of ways including planning, donations, and outreach. Students from local high schools in Bergen County served food throughout the day and in Campden, Medical Outreach Teams gave flu shots to individuals attending the event and also went out into the community to provide shots to individuals on the streets and in transportation centers.
Pictured here top at the Passaic County PHC in Paterson are, l-r, 10-Year Plan co-chair Dr. Pruden, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region 2 Director Sean Moss, HUD New Jersey Field Office Director Diane Johnson, Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders Chair Elease Evans, New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell-Wells, Jay Boxwell of Harbor House, Passaic United Way President and CEO Yvonne Zuidema, and Sam Miller. Pictured middle is Director Mangano receiving a Project Homeless Connect Proclamation from the City of Bayonne in Hudson County.
In addition to New Jersey’s statewide Project Homeless Connect, Portland, Oregon, Waco, Texas, and 8 Counties in Michigan also held Connect events last week (see related stories). In December, 39 communities participated in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week. A recent article in the newsletter of the National League of Cities' Nations Cities Weekly highlighted this effort. Please visit the Council’s website, www.usich.gov, for information about the Project Homeless Connect innovation, results from 2006 National Week, and upcoming Connect events around the country.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT EVENTS IN 7 COUNTIES SUPPORT MICHIGAN'S HISTORIC COMMITMENT TO 10-YEAR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ACROSS THE STATE
MICHIGAN. The seven Project Homeless Connect events in Michigan last week that provided assistance to more than 1500 homeless people were some of the first fruits of the Michigan statewide effort to end homelessness, embodied in the 60 county 10-Year Plans covering every square mile of the state unveiled by the state at a Homeless Summit in October. State and county leaders attending the summit became enthusiastic about the Project Homeless Connect innovation after hearing presentations by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Executive Director Philip Mangano and Regional Coordinator John O’Brien on how Connect events serve to support 10-Year Plan implementation efforts. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority offered $1000 seed grants through the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) to help support county PHC efforts. Technical assistance was provided by MCAH, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the Interagency Council.
The seven countywide Connect events were held on January 25 in Benton Harbor/Berrien County; Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo County; Adrian/Lenawee County; Dowagiac/Cass County; Roseville/Macomb County; Alpena/Alpena County; and Grand Rapids/Kent County. Lynn Nee of the Michigan Network for Youth and Families who helped organize and coordinate events reports that approximately 500 volunteers escorted the 1500 homeless guests through the service areas at the eight sites, provided meal service, “ and a friendly ear to listen.” In Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city, nearly 700 homeless individuals were assisted. Event organizers were surprised and delighted when an extra 60 volunteers who had not pre-registered showed up to assist guests at the Van Andel arena which had been made available by Mayor George Heartwell and city officials. In the rural northern Michigan county of Alpena, organizers were surprised by the turnout of over 200 seeking assistance. Already the Salvation Army has donated $1000 to help the community plan its next Connect event.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: ‘WE NEED ALL OF YOU’ THE THEME FOR PORTLAND AND WACO PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECTS
 PORTLAND, OREGON. Portland/Multnomah County held its 4th Project Homeless Connect last week providing services to over 700 individuals with the help of 250 citizen volunteers and 200 service volunteers. At the volunteer rally, County Chairman Ted Wheeler said, “ It is important for us to remember that today’s event is not the only thing we are doing about homelessness, but that Project Homeless Connect is part of our community’s plan to end homelessness in ten years." This sentiment was echoed by Portland Mayor Tom Potter who said of the event, “ Today we are building the community’s will to bring an end to homelessness. Government can't do this alone. Project Homeless Connect brings in the support of our sponsors and our civic leaders. We need them. We need all of you.”
Two notable features of last week’s event were the legal assistance rendered to 75 persons by volunteer lawyers coordinated by Monica Goracke of the Oregon Law Center, and the “observer” track organized by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson which brought representatives of several counties in Washington State and Oregon to the Portland PHC.
After the event, Attorney Goracke said that “over half of the people we saw came to us with minor criminal issues, mostly relating to fines for past misdemeanors that they couldn’t pay and that were accumulating. These fines have interfered with their applying for housing, jobs, and benefits. We were able to start the process here that we are confident can bring a fairly rapid resolution to these situations and remove the obstacles in their path to apply for these life essentials. This was a lot different from our Family Project Homeless Connect last June when mostly we were presented with child custody and other civil family law issues.”
28 observers attended the Portland PHC representing Albany, Eugene/Lane County, and Clakamas County in Oregon and Tacoma/Pierce County, Everett/Snonomish County, Olympia/ Thurston County, Port Angeles/Clallam County, Vancouver/Clarke County, the United Way of Seattle/King County, and the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless. The day’s events included a pre-event meeting with Portland Mayor Potter, Multnomah County Chairman Wheeler, and Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten, the opportunity to roam freely during the event talking with team leaders and volunteers in order to better understand the details of how the event was organized, and a meeting with Portland/Multnomah 10-Year Plan Director Heather Lyons and Community Action Director Mary Li to further explore Connect events as tools for supporting and advancing 10-Year Plan efforts. Portland will host its second Family Connect in June. Among the observer communities, Eugene/Lane County OR has planned a PHC for February 8 and Albany, OR will host one in April.
Pictured here, top, l-r, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler, Portland Mayor Tom Potter, and Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten. Pictured second, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler speaking an the opening rally for the volunteers, with representatives of sponsors in the background, Pictured third, Multnomah Community Action Director Mary Li addressing the guest observers. Pictured bottom, volunteers from the US. Department of Veterans Affairs.
WACO, TEXAS. Eighty-three homeless and at-risk individuals were assisted by 60 volunteers at Waco’s second Project Homeless Connect, reports Vicki Halfmann of the City of Waco. Of those, 22 identified themselves as veterans. Waco’s Project Homeless Connect expands its earlier veteran Stand Down efforts. The January 25 event, timed to coincide with the Point In Time Count, was organized by the City of Waco, Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition, and Baylor University School of Social Work.
The First Lutheran Church donated the use of their facility for the event, and numerous local businesses donated hats, gloves, coats, personal hygiene products, and gift cards. The City also held a socks and coat drive in preparation for the event. Representatives of the federal Social Security Administration and Veterans Affairs benefits and medical staff were on hand as was the Waco Housing Authority. Among onsite services, 52 persons were assisted with food stamp enrollment by the Helping Hands Food Stamp Outreach program; the Waco- McLellan County Health Department provided health screenings; the non profit Heart of Texas Workforce Center provided job training information; the Department of Public Safety assisted people in need of identification cards, and the Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation and Central Texas Youth Services Bureau were both visited by more than two dozen people.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: WITH ARIZONA'S FIRST PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT IN TEMPE AND SAN FRANCISCO REPORTING OVER 900 ASSISTED OFF THE STREETS IN 2006, THE PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT INNOVATION CONTINUES TO GATHER MOMENTUM AND PRODUCE RESULTS.
 Tempe, Arizona and San Diego, California hosted Project Homeless Connect events this week. San Francisco, where the Connect innovation originated, is reporting that more than 900 were assisted off the streets through Connect events in the city in 2006.
TEMPE, ARIZONA. Tempe was the site of Arizona’s first Project Homeless Connect on Monday. A collaborative community effort organized through the office of Tempe City Homeless Coordinator Theresa James and held at the Tempe First United Methodist Church, 105 men experiencing chronic homelessness and homeless youth were assisted by more than 35 community volunteers and representatives of 21 community organizations. Breakfast and lunch were provided by local business as were a variety of free books from the Changing Hands bookstore.
Adopting best practices of other PHC efforts, Arizona Department of Economic Security representatives brought computers to be able to provide onsite employment and benefit application assistance that included processing 45 applications for food stamps. Expanding the state assistance offered at the event, representatives of the Department of Rehabilitative Services were also on hand providing assessments and referrals for more extensive neurological, vision and medical exams for supportive employment. Representatives of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs did 11 intakes. Other services provided by community organizations included health checks, drug and alcohol assessments, haircuts and massages. Among those attending the event was United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Charlene Moran Flaherty. Organizers of this week’s Connect event will be providing a detailed report on the event to the Tempe City Council in February and hope to host another PHC before the summer.
 Last fall Tempe initiated a Homeless Program Outreach Effort (HOPE) using a van and two outreach workers (shown here) to provide mobile outreach, crisis intervention, advocacy and limited transportation to homeless individuals and families to engage them into services. The outreach team works with police and fire department officials, Tempe residents, businesses, churches, and social service agencies. City officials recently reported that in December the HOPE Outreach Team worked with 28 unduplicated homeless individuals, bringing the total of unduplicated individuals they have served since November to 87. The outreach workers also reported that 25 individuals served in December were homeless people that they had already made contact with “indicating that they are succeeding at building positive relationships with individuals that can be very difficult to reach.” The city reports that the HOPE program is “establishing relationships with community entities that are able to provide many of the items homeless individuals need, not only to survive, but to end their homelessness such as valid forms of ID. The community is receptive to HOPE's presence and is collaborating on many different levels.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. In San Francisco, where Project Homeless Connect originated as a local initiative by Mayor Gavin Newsom in October 2004, city officials have released a report on the results of the Connect events that were held every other month during 2006. The City reports that with the extraordinary support of 8,659 volunteers,
- 9,738 clients came through the PHC door
- 1,970 individuals received benefits assistance such as SSI, food stamps, and General Assistance
- 1,142 individuals were screened for employment opportunities with 39 successful hirings
- 1,735 individuals received medical care and 1,096 received dental screens
- 1,036 received legal assistance
- 560 received methadone treatment
- 99,089 lbs of groceries were given away by the SF Food Bank
- 520 individuals received mental health and substance abuse services
- 73 individuals were reconnected to family or friends through Homeward Bound, and
- 902 individuals were assisted off the streets and provided with shelter and housing
 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. Following recent Project Homeless Connect events in 13 California communities during December’s National Project Homeless Connect Week, San Diego this week held its 3rd Project Homeless Connect assisting more than 175 homeless individuals and families. The event, held downtown in the Civic Center Golden Gate Hall, was organized by San Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homeless Executive Director John Thelen and community leader Hannah Cohen, who helped facilitate creation of the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in the San Diego Region adopted by the San Diego City Council in October.
Approximately 70 volunteers were on hand to help escort clients, most of whom arrived by free bus transportation, to services set up onsite. The services included free phone calls, mental health, alcohol and drug assessments and referrals, employment information, hot meals, clothing, shoes, non denominational pastoral care, legal services, flu shots, massages and footwashes. 33 applications were taken for food stamps and/or General Assistance; federal Social Security Administration representatives assisted 52 individuals with benefits application and social security cards assistance; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and local officials and organizations provided housing counseling and information assistance and referrals to 115 clients and 40 shelter beds were made available. Two police officers, John Liening and Richard Schnell, who have been instrumental in the success of the San Diego Serial Inebriate Program, were on hand coordinating transportation assistance for those in need of mental health and medical attention. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera attended the event, speaking with organizers, volunteers and clients.
San Diego held its first Project Homeless Connect in December 2005 as part of National Project Homeless Connect Day and followed that with a second event in April at the King of Kings Lutheran Church in Oceanside. The city facilitated the use of the downtown Civic Center for this week’s event.
MORE THAN 21,000 HOMELESS GUESTS AND 9400 VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED THROUGH PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT EVENTS FROM OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER 2006
 As more communities embrace the Project Homeless Connect innovation, originated in San Francisco, results have been tabulated for the 47 cities and counties hosting Connect events during the last quarter of 2006 including National Project Homeless Connect Week:
Number of homeless guests: 21,694
Number of volunteers: 9,440
Number leaving the streets: 1,058
Number housed: 237
Already, 51 communities have scheduled Connect events during the first quarter of 2007. The events this month include San Diego, CA and Tempe, AZ on January 22; Portland, OR will hold its 4th Connect event on January 23rd; Waco, TX on the 25th; and 34 counties in New Jersey and 7 counties in Michigan will sponsor events on January 25 as part of statewide efforts timed to coincide with the Point in Time counts. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson is facilitating “observer” visits to the Portland January 23rd PHC by officials and representatives from 3 Oregon jurisdictions-- Eugene, Albany/Linn County, Corvallis/Benton County--and 9 Washington State jurisdictions, all of whom have 10-Year Plans-- Yakima, Seattle/King County, Tacoma/Pierce County, and Snohomish, Thurston, Kitsap, Clallam, Clarke, and Cowlitz counties. Representatives of the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless will also attend as part of the observer group. Heather Lyons, director of the Portland/Multnomah County “Home Again” 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness will cohost the observers, whose activities will include opportunities to join a volunteer training session and an event debriefing.
The New Jersey events, being coordinated by the New Jersey Alliance for the Homeless, have the support of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Department of Health Services, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and numerous United Way organizations that have been working closely with New Jersey communities in the development of 10-Year Plans to end homelessness. In Michigan, where county 10-year plans covering every square mile of the state were unveiled at a State Homeless Summit in October, $1000 grants have been made available to counties through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to support the local Connect events.
Last week, representatives of 24 of the 39 cities and counties that participated in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week participated in a national “wrap up conversation” conference call hosted by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Best practices and lessons learned identified during the wrap-up conference call will be described in detail in future editions of the e-news and will be added to the Council’s NHPC website. A number of innovations were described in the Council’s December 14, 2006 e-news report on National Week. Communities interested in learning more about Project Homeless Connect are encouraged to visit the website and can contact the Council at nphc@usich.gov.
PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
 A tip of the hat to San Francisco’s Mayor and the City’s 10-Year Plan for offering the country (and now other countries) the initiative that welcomes homeless people back into their communities, Project Homeless Connect. The fusion of political and civic will in a one day-one stop has spread across the country with the facilitation of the Interagency Council. Begun just a couple years ago in one city, 39 cities joined in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week and another 30 will offer Connect events in the next few months. Since its inception, tens of thousands of homeless people have been engaged, welcomed, and offered a variety of services from benefit enrollment to job placement, from treatment to transportation, from housing to haircuts.
A tip of the hat to Portland, OR, Minneapolis, and Berkeley for innovating the innovation in including youth, families, pets, and others. In a further innovation, whole states will be creating a Project Homeless Connect Day beginning in January.
Pictured here from top, volunteers at the Hollywood, CA National Project Homeless Connect Week event; Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Jim Ryczek and Director Mangano greeting homeless guests at the Connect event in Providence, RI; and volunteers at the Minneapolis, MN National Project Homeless Week event.
IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: MINNEAPOLIS/HENNEPIN COUNTYEFFORT TO IMPROVE IMMEDIACY OF SERVICES AT PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT EVENTS IS A REPLICABLE BEST PRACTICE
 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. Last week, 39 communities participated in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week facilitated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Council is continuing to receive results data from the participating jurisdictions and will be hosting a future conference call with event organizers to hear more about their experiences and identify replicable innovations. One such innovation already identified occurred at the Minneapolis Project Homeless Connect. Pictured here are volunteers at the event. As reported last week, this was the 3rd PHC hosted by Minneapolis/Hennepin County in downtown Minneapolis. Each event has built on lessons learned from earlier efforts. For this latest PHC, funds were raised from private and business sources to enhance the immediacy of services that could be delivered during the Connect event.
$42,000, including a $30,000 private donation, was raised and used during the event to "break down remaining barriers to immediate assistance." In some cases, this meant assisting with first and last month rental deposit. In other cases it meant meeting medical and dental care needs such as dentures. Knowing the difficulty faced by homeless guests in locating extra-large sizes of clothing and shoes, these items were purchased and made available at the event. To facilitate the ability of homeless guests to keep follow-up medical, dental, behavioral health, employment and housing search appointments, bus passes were purchased and given to each homeless guest. Throughout the day, Minneapolis/Hennepin County Coordinator to End Homelessness Cathy ten Broeke circulated through the event, using the donated funds to ensure that homeless guests were able to receive services that day to the maximum extent possible to move them toward greater self sufficiency.
Immediacy of services is one of the hallmarks of the Project Homeless Connect innovation and the effort by Minneapolis/Hennepin County to create an "emergency fund" to break down remaining barriers to such services is a replicable best practice which other communities are encouraged to consider to improve outcomes from their Connect events.
2006 NATIONAL PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT WEEK: POLITICAL AND CIVIC WILL FUSED ON BEHALF OF OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS
 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.
2006 NATIONAL PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT WEEK OFFERS HELP AND HOPE TO HOMELESS PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREETS AND IN SHELTERS IN NEARLY 40 COMMUNITIES.
2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week, being facilitated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, kicked off Monday with events in Berkeley, California, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Altogether almost 40 communities will host Connect events between Monday and Saturday. Fifteen of those communities participated in last year's first ever national Project Homeless Connect Day.
"Project Homeless Connect is the fusion of political and civic will in a 1-day, 1-stop array of resources and services to welcome our homeless neighbors," said Council Executive Director Philip Mangano. The intent of National Project Homeless Connect Week is "to move our most vulnerable neighbors measurably closer to the end of their homelessness." Project Homeless Connect targets homeless people from off the streets and in shelters and connects them to a range of resources - housing, jobs, medical care, mainstream benefits application assistance - that can put them on the road to recovery and self sufficiency. The size and scope of each event varies including number of homeless, range of agencies and services offered, extent of business community involvement and number of volunteers.
For some communities, this week is their inaugural Connect event. For others, like Minneapolis/Hennepin County holding their 4th event, three of which have been in Minneapolis and another in St. Paul a notable for being the first in the nation led by two police officers, results from the earlier events have generated support for the community's 10-year planning effort. Last week both the Hennepin County Commissioners and the Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a 10-Year Plan, "Heading Home Hennepin", for which implementation will begin immediately including 2007 funding of $100,000 by the city for a new street outreach pilot and a county commitment of $2.5 million for a range of plan recommendations including capital costs, public health and homeless veterans outreach efforts, and refugee housing.
Outreach is an important part of the Project Homeless Connect effort. A banner across Nashua, New Hampshire's main street announces the community's Connect event on December 8 and elected officials of communities in Morris County, New Jersey issued a proclamation declaring December 8 Project Homeless Connect Day in the county. Los Angeles County Connect day events took place at eight different locations-Downtown, South Los Angeles, two sites in West Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pomona, Hollywood/West Hollywood, and Glendale. Each individual site distributed fliers and advertised the event through local media releases. Homeless outreach teams worked to identify potential clients and invite them to attend the "local" event.
In Berkeley, a Youth Connect was held that focused on homeless young adults 18-25 and in Rhode Island, Governor Donald Carcieri helped kick off the Project Homeless Connect in Providence with the unveiling of the Rhode Island Action Plan to End Homelessness.
A list of communities participating in 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week is available here. Descriptions of the events, results, and pictures will be posted here on the Council's website.
STRATEGICALLY FURTHERING THE OBJECTIVES OF 10-YEAR PLANS WITH PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT EVENTS
 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, RHODEISLAND. 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."
INNOVATING WITHIN THE INNOVATION OF PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
 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'
 "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.
BUSINESS AND CORPORATE SUPPORT HELP SUSTAIN CONNECT EFFORTS
 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 LEADS THE NATION WITH NUMBER OF PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT EVENTS DURING NATIONAL WEEK
 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.
BY THE NUMBERS . . .
 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
WORDS OF THE WEEK: OFFERING OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS OUR WELCOME, OUR FOCUS, AND OUR SERVICE THROUGH PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
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!
LINKS TO CITY EVENTS -- 2005-2006
Browse these on-line postings that describe 2005-2006
Project Homeless Connect events across the country (sites listed
alphabetically).
Allegheny County, PA Carson City, NV
Denver, CO
Duluth, MN
Fairfield County, CT Indianapolis, IN Knoxville, TN Miami, FL Minneapolis, MN Norfolk, VA |
