Project Homeless Connect

The 7th annual Project Connect will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2013 from 9:00am to 3:30pm at the Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson Street, in Chapel Hill in Orange County.

Project Connect is a one-day, one-stop center that connects people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness with a broad range of short and long-term services. These include housing, employment, health and dental care, mental health care, veterans' and social service benefits, legal services, and more. Community members can support Project Connect by donating and/or volunteering. For more information, visit: www.projectconnectorange.org.

This year, over 50 social service agencies and 300 volunteers will serve an expected 300 guests. Since 2007, the event has served over 900 people in Orange County. The event is a key strategy of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness. "Project Connect makes a powerful impact on our homeless neighbors, providing respect and hospitality and a wide range of assistance," said Jamie Rohe, Orange County Homeless Programs Coordinator. "The event enables service agencies to efficiently reach many people in a single day, and it educates the community about the issues of homelessness."

For more information, please visit www.projectconnectorange.org or directly contact Jamie Rohe, Orange County Homeless Programs Coordinator, at 919-245-2496 or jrohe@orangecountync.gov.

From the N & O:

Help sought for Project Homeless

CHAPEL HILL -- Volunteers and donors are needed for the second annual Project Homeless Connect to help people experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

Project Homeless Connect 2008 will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 25, at the Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson St. The event is a one-day, one-stop center to link people experiencing -- or at risk of experiencing -- homelessness with a broad range of services.

Guests are offered assistance with such things as housing, employment, health and dental care, foot care, mental health care, veterans' benefits, social service benefits and legal services. They also receive lunch and personal care gift bags, and are offered haircuts, showers, coats and other clothing.

At the first Project Homeless Connect event held last October, 133 guests were served, nearly 40 agencies provided services, more than 20 businesses donated goods and services, and more than 200 volunteers participated in a variety of ways including preparing and serving food, assembling personal care gift bags and escorting guests through the event.

Volunteers are needed to assemble personal care kits, prepare and serve food, cut hair, photograph the event, wash feet, escort guests and to help in many other ways. Monetary donations will be used to purchase personal care items, water bottles, tote bags and portfolios for the guests, and to pay for costs associated with services they receive at the event, such as thrift shop vouchers and the cost of obtaining an identification card. Donation needs include food, serving items, coats, underwear, socks, diapers, baby wipes, knapsacks and umbrellas.

To see a complete list of the volunteer positions and donation needs for Project Homeless Connect 2008, visit the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness site at http://www.co.orange.nc.us/housing/endinghomelessness.asp.

For more information, contact Jamie Rohe at 969-5059 or jrohe@townofchapelhill.org.