For the second year in a row, DU will host Project Homeless Connect this Friday at the Ritchie Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in an effort to end homelessness in the Denver metro area.
This will mark the sixth time the city of Denver has offered this event to the homeless, and is part of Denver’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. PHC6 is expecting between 550 and 900 clients, according to event organizer Katie Symons.
Junior Angie Foucher volunteered for Project Homeless Connect last year and said her experience was “great” because she “learned about a population of people that are not recognized by society.”
“[Last year] I learned that homeless people are not people to be feared, but admired. Many of them are very talented and intelligent, but they are never given the benefit of the doubt,” Foucher said.
Foucher is one of approximately 800 volunteers who will participating in this year’s event, compared to 755 volunteers who participated in last year’s PHC, held on April 20, 2007, and 250 who helped with planning efforts.
For senior Nami Ghebreab, this is her first year volunteering for the event. Ghebreab says she is looking forward to “establishing a connection with one or more clients and making a difference in at least one person’s life.”
“It’s a learning experience for me, to change my perspective on homelessness. There are a lot of misconceptions, and I want to broaden my knowledge about the issue,” Ghebreab said.
A few changes will be made with regards to organization for this year’s event. Volunteers in red shirts will be “area leaders,” and their responsibilities are to be familiar with all the available services and be ready to assist volunteers with any questions they may have.
Last week several training sessions were held for the event, and guest speaker Randle Loeb attended the session.
Loeb is the vice president of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and was once a homeless man himself. He expressed his gratitude to the volunteers at the session.
“When you get to know [homeless clients] and take the time to listen to them, you will discover they are not very different from us. They are extremely grateful, as I am, for the opportunity to meet you all, and for the opportunity to share this important piece of all of our lives,” Loeb said.
Available services for homeless clients will include birth certificates and personal IDs, a children’s play pen, legal services, employment services, housing services, medical services and drug and alcohol prevention services.
As a kickoff to the event, volunteers are invited to view the world premiere of John Leguizamo’s film, “Where God Left His Shoes,” tomorrow, May 7, at 7 p.m. at the Gates Concert Hall in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
Since the 2005 implementation of Denver’s 10-year plan to end homelessness, Mile High United Way reported that Denver has seen an 11 percent reduction in overall homelessness and a 36 percent decrease in chronic homelessness. Panhandling on the 16th Street Mall has dropped by 92 percent.
Also, according to Mile High United Way, there are more than 3900 homeless men, women and children in the city of Denver, and 40 percent of the homeless are working.
Organizing sponsors for this year’s Project Homeless Connect aside from DU include Mile High United Way, Denver’s Road Home, Comcast, Pepsi, Regis University, Sodexho and 5280.com.
For more information, visit www.du.edu/homelessness/index.html.
