December 3-7 is named National Project Homeless Connect Week to honor volunteers
Newswise — A program that started life as an attempt to find a solution to homelessness in San Francisco is now being copied in more than 130 cities and counties in 26 states around the U.S. Project Homeless Connect is serving as a role model for similar programs in Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Missouri, New York and Florida. It's also being used internationally in Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia.
The reason why is simple. The program works. To honor that success the Federal Government has declared December 3-7 "National Project Homeless Connect Week" .
"Instead of averting our eyes from homeless people and ignoring them, Project Homeless Connect offers us the opportunity to look our homeless neighbors in the eye and engage them," indicated Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the federal United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The core of why the program works in San Francisco and around the country.
December 5th will mark the 19th Project Homeless Connect event at the Bill Graham Auditorium in Civic Center Plaza (10:00 a.m. " 3:00 p.m.) and it will be sponsored by Blue Shield of California, which is sending a contingent of volunteers for the day. In addition Blue Shield's generous financial contribution will help PHC cover expenses for this upcoming event.
"As a not-for-profit health plan, Blue Shield is committed to promoting community involvement and helping all those in need in the communities we serve," said Paul Markovich, senior vice president & chief executive of Blue Shield of California's Large Group Business Unit. "Combating homelessness is in keeping with our mission of providing effective, safe and accessible health care to all Californians, and we are proud to work with Project Homeless Connect toward that goal." Mr. Markovich will also be volunteering at PHC and will address volunteers and clients during the December 5th event.
To date, PHC has distributed more than 152,000 lbs of food and provided shelter and housing to 1,997 clients. At the 18th PHC, 217 people were seen for medical treatment, 68 for dental treatments, 380 individuals were fitted for eye glasses and received vision care, and 253 clients were screened for employment opportunities. Other categories of support included free phone calls (600); DMV identification services (302); legal counsel (225); massages (70); hair cuts (77) and wheelchair repairs (30).
About Project Homeless ConnectProject Homeless Connect makes a real difference in the lives of the City's homeless by bringing together almost 250 non-profit agencies, private businesses and volunteers to assist San Franciscans in need. Since the program's inception in October 2004 as a joint effort of San Francisco's health care, housing and human service systems, Project Homeless Connect has been supported by tens of thousands of volunteers, individuals and companies giving their time, cash, clothing, food and essential services. To date, this program has provided services to thousands of the City's most economically disadvantaged men, women and children with basic human needs and housing. Project Homeless Connect is a key component of Mayor Newsom's 10-year plan to abolish homelessness in San Francisco. This unprecedented approach to helping the homeless has been adopted as a national model in more than 130 jurisdictions in the U.S and has also been implemented in Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia.
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