SAN FRANCISCO, California ?–?Making homelessness less hectic is one program’s mission. Project Homeless Connect puts unavoidable bureaucracy and necessities in one place, Think Progress?reports.
Finding a place to sleep is just one challenge homeless people face. Getting around and getting necessary care is just as crucial. A Project Homeless Connect fair, which hosts all kinds of service providers, only makes one trip necessary. And, yes, that includes health care providers.
It’s tailor-made for an 18-year-old girl deemed unemployable for having no teeth, PHC Executive Director Kara Zordel said.
“She’s gone through rehab, she’s done everything she needs to do, but she’s still being blocked by the lack of teeth. By being able to give her teeth, she’s now in school, she’s working, it’s changed her life entirely because it’s opened up those doors.”
The brainchild of former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has served the house-poor since 2004. PHC holds its events five times a year and generally serves 2,000 people, according to Zordel. Dental care, eyeglasses, haircuts and ID’s are among the guests’ most urgent needs.
Contrary to popular belief, helping the homeless is economical. Zordel said the because the $20,000 PHC event provides preventative and on-site care to homeless people, it translates into emergency room cost savings. With that said, the price tag covers everything from food to identification to medical care.
A public-private partnership makes PHC possible. The San Francisco Department of Public Health covers staff salaries, while the community financially supports PHC events. The program boasts more than 23,000 volunteers?or 1 in 16 San Franciscans, according to Zordel.
They include students from nearby beauty colleges or nursing schools, but many just hear about it from their friends and decided to join. University of California undergrad Arjan Bains is among them.
“As opposed to other organizations where you’re just giving food, this one offers a large breadth of services to homeless people.”
For more information, please visit http://www.projecthomelessconnect.com.
Watch one of their videos:
Featured image from the website.
edited by tw
