Month: December 2009

Project Homeless Connect Coming to Skid Row

 The fourth annual Project Homeless Connect Day- Downtown LA will be held on Thursday, December 10th.  The event will be held on 6th street, between Wall and San Pedro, and will run from about 10:00 am until 2:00pm. 

Project Homeless Connect is part of a national initiative designed to bring together service providers, agencies, and organizations to provide housing, hospitality, information, health-care and other services for our nation’s homeless population.  Los Angeles County, along with Santa Monica, Long Beach, Pasadena, Downtown LA, South Los Angeles, and the East San Gabriel Valley will each be hosting an event to bring awareness and connect those experiencing homelessness to much needed services.  The goal is to provide area homeless and working poor access to the assistance they need to become self-sufficient and to ultimately obtain affordable housing.

  

Some of the day’s activities will include:

  • Health related services – HIV/STD testing, flu shots, screenings, education
  • Public information distribution by DPSS, DCFS, DMH, LASD, LAPD
  • Legal Support and Advocacy
  • Hygiene Kits (i.e. toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.)
  • Dental Education
  • Community Referral Service
  • In addition to Music & Entertainment, Food to be provided, Jumper, etc.

 

Project Homeless Connect Day will:

  • Unite government, volunteers, non-profits, businesses, civic leaders, social service providers, and faith-based organizations, to create single points of engagement and entry for homeless individuals and families.
  • Engage the general public in offering assistance to people who are homeless through volunteer opportunities.
  • Create a unique opportunity for homeless citizens to access services in a supportive community-type setting.
  • Provide the necessary connections for homeless individuals and families to get started on the pathway to self-sufficiency.

 

Get Involved and Help Make a Difference

Project Homeless Connect Day is a great opportunity for you and your organization to get involved with doing your part in trying to reduce the County’s homeless population.  There are several ways to be a part of this special event.

 

  • Monetary donations are needed for supplies, activities, lunches, security, logistics, and other items that will be identified as the planning progresses.
  • In-Kind donations of all sorts are needed.  Hygiene supplies, phone cards, food products, beverages, t-shirts, catering, socks, and much more is needed.
  • Volunteers to assist on the day of the event. Hundreds of volunteers will be needed to serve lunches, escort people through the service providers, provide hospitality services, and assist with various tasks throughout the day.

If you are interested in getting involved in any way, or would like more information, please contact Sara Farnsworth at (213) 316-2752 or via email at projecthomelessconnect@urm.org.

 

Mark Horvath Live with Andy Bales at Winter Shelter Opening

Mark Horvath, known to many as @hardlynormal on Twitter, has been busy helping with the annual Winter Shelters Program.  He says, “I get a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing I am part of a team that will provide a safe place, hot shower and warm meal for the next 3 months. But so very sad knowing most spent the last year living outside homeless…”.

Want to see what the winter shelters are really like?  Check out Mark interviewing Andy just before the shelter opened on Tuesday night.

Winter Shelters Open Throughout Los Angeles

Yesterday, December 1st,  was the opening day of the annual Winter Shelter Program.  EIMAGO, a subsidiary of Union Rescue Mission, operates 4 of the 14 shelter sites administered by the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority.  This termporary program runs in LA County from December 1st – March 15th each year.  As the weather grows colder, it is a blessing for many to be able to sleep in a warm bed at a winter shelter!

The services offered include overnight shelter, meals, showers, access to the health, mental health, dental & legal aid clinics; in addition to recovery programs, education assessment, job training and personal and/or career development.  Each Winter Shelter Program guest will have an opportunity to transition into longer-term programs that will assist them in their efforts to gain permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

As Andy Bales said, “The purpose isn’t just to welcome them for the night or the winter season…it’s to connect people to services so that they are no longer on the streets. We do have a plan for the day that we don’t have one precious human being on the streets. That’s why we do this.” 

To hear about the impact of the Winter Shelters, click here to watch John’s story or click here to read about this years’ Glendale Shelter.

For more information on how the Winter Shelter Program is run, check out the LAHSA website.