The University of Denver provided approximately 1,000 homeless people with vast resources by hosting the fourth Project Homeless Connect at Gates Field House last Friday
DU was the first university in Colorado to host Project Homeless Connect. Universities in Seattle and Philadelphia have hosted similar events in the past.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friday, Gates Field House became a one-stop venue for social and personal services a homeless person may need. As many as 1,000 homeless people from around the Denver metro area were brought to campus by vans and provided with needed services.
Services included health care, HIV testing, flu shots, vision screening, emergency care and information about substance abuse treatment. Housing benefits, Social Security identification and services, food stamps, employment opportunities and on-sight interviews, identification cards and birth certificates, dentists, education, and child-care information were also provided. Colorado Legal Council provided referrals for legal services. Some 20 lawyers helped check on legal status of individuals, including warrant information and legal advice.
A homeless court took place in the Sturm College of Law where people who were charged with nonviolent petty crimes received help with avoiding large fines and jail sentences.
A station in the Gates Field House offered massages to those who were interested. More than 800 DU students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members volunteered to escort individuals to needed service stations.
“I am really happy that we did this,” said sophomore Mary Jean O’Malley. “Project Homeless Connect is important because it means everyone is a participant.”
“I would love to volunteer my time for another Project Homeless Connect event because it shows a lot of the homeless that people really do care and that there is hope,” said sophomore Sara Bents.
“Homelessness is gut-wrenching. It removes the feeling of being a human being. Many people speak about resilience of people, especially children and how they adapt. B I never felt that it was safe. It was not a matter of whether you would be assaulted but when.B You have no feeling of tomorrow, just getting by,” said Randle Loeb, who once was homeless himself and currently is the vice president of the Metropolitan Homeless Initiative.
“Walking is hard because you are tired and worn down. You stand in unlimited lines and must wait patiently even for the opportunity to wash, or lie down. B People harass you. You feel disconnected from everyone and everything that ever happened and you are afraid that if you died that no one would know or acknowledge your passing. I felt my life was worthless and prayed for it to end thought hours and hours about how I would die,” said Loeb.
B Project Homeless Connect 4 is a partnership between the city and county of Denver, Denver’s Road Home, and Mile High United Way. Project Homeless Connect is modeled on the successful program in San Francisco and has been implemented in 120 cities around the nation. More than 230 cities are now working on plans similar to Denver’s Road Home to end homelessness in ten years.
In the previous Project Homeless Connect held on Dec. 8, 2005, more than 350 volunteers assisted more than 800 homeless people with health care, employment, housing, legal counseling and many other services. The event was partially underwritten by Comcast.
Project Homeless Connect 4 was made possible by the University of Denver, Mile High United Way and Denver’s Road Home. Other sponsoring organizations included Sodexho, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Regis University and the Colorado Nurses Foundation.
