Project Homeless Connect - Continuing the Plan

On September 23, 2008, both the public and private sector providers of Mississippi kept the annual Project Homeless Connect light burning in an effort to achieve the nation-wide 10-year plan to end homelessness. This year's event was held at held at Poindexter Park from 8:30 -12:30. With special thanks to Heather Ivery, Homeless Program Coordinator, City of Jackson, the event was a great success.

The total number of guests, volunteers, services providers and partners are as follows:

• 244+ guests (homeless individuals)
• 80+ volunteers (agencies, churches, organizations, individuals)
• 48+ service providers (agencies, organizations providing services and/or information)
• 9 churches (volunteers, goods and services)
• 14 businesses (in-kind donations)
• 2 Corporate (monetary donations - Trustmark Bank ($500), Community Foundation of Greater Jackson ($1000)

Number of guests who received housing:

• 6 Shelter Beds
• 2 Transitional Beds (Grace House: HIV/AIDS)
• 8 Treatment Beds

Other Services Provided:

Service Provider

• 152 Employment Services Assessments WIN/Cares of MS
• 10 Vocational Rehab Services MS. Vocational Rehabilitation
• 78 Social Security Printouts Social Security Administration
• 59 Birth Certificates MS. Dept. of Health(paid by CFGJ)
• 6 HIV/AIDS Assessment Grace House/MDH
• 350 Personal Hygiene Packets Christ Meth. Church/volunteers
• 64 Blood Pressure Checks JXN Hinds/MDH
• 38 Blood Sugar Screenings JXN Hinds
• 80 Mental Health Screenings HBH/MSH
• 27 V.A. Assessments VA Homeless Program
• 8 Phone Cards VA Homeless Program
• 97 Voter Registrations Gray and Associates
• 178 Opportunity Center Stewpot Community Services
• Local telephone calls
• Laundry
• Computers
• 58 Tuberculosis tests MDH
• 52 Picture ID's MDH/Opportunity Center
• 22 Foot Washing/Massage Nurse Clark/Renee Rosenfeld
• 98 Art Therapy UMCOccupational Therapy Students
• 97 Recreation UMCOccupational Therapy Students

Business Partners:

• Good Samaritan (10 tents) JPD (security)
• Kroger (10 cases water) Opportunity Center (30 chairs)
• Peoples Funeral Home (1 tent) Basils (Panini and Pasta)
• Waste Management (10 trash cans) Millers (breakfast food)
• Keifers (cheesecakes) Chick-fil-a (100 coupons)
• Valley Foods (10 cases water) MS State Hospital (4 tents)
• Directions Youth (sound system)

Service Providers:

• Common Bond Harbor House
• Country Oaks Recovery Alcohol Services
• COPAC MS Housing Partners
• Friendship Connection New Dimensions
• Catholic Charities God's Homeless Haven
• Grace Place Southern Christian Services
• Wingard House Gateway Rescue Mission
• Stewpot Community Services: Catholic Charities:
• Matt's House Rape Crisis Center
• Sims House Domestic Violence Center
• Flowers House Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center
• Brumfield Shelter James Ivory Homeless Clinic
• Grace House Building Bridges
• St. Dominic Care-a-Van MS Dept. of Health:
• Dept. of Mental Health Birth Certificates
• MS State Hospital HIV testing
• WIN Job Center Blood Pressure Screening
• Vocational Rehab Center BMI screening
• MDES TB testing/ID
• MS. Housing Authority VA Homeless Program
• Good Samaritan Consumer Credit
• HCHRA: Dept. of Human Services:
• Families First Economic Assistance
• Homeless Assistance Community Service
• Social Security Administration Abstinence
• Hope Community Credit Union Child Care
• JPS Homeless Services Child Support
• Center for Justice ACLU
• Senior Services UMC Occupational Therapy Program

Participating Churches:

Broadmoor Baptist Church (Madison)

• 300 lunches - 10 volunteers
• 30 tables - 10 dozen donuts
• 100 chairs - 1 van/2 drivers
• 7 coolers - 20 cases water

Middlebrook United Methodist Church

• 10 tables 30 chairs
• volunteers

New Jerusalem Church (plus 5 small churches)

• 200 lunches - 10 volunteers

Galloway United Methodist Church

• socks

Christ United Methodist Church

• 350 Personal Hygiene Packs