Why end homelessness? Because we can...

Project Homeless Connect Tacoma working with the homeless in Tacoma and Pierce County,homeless tacoma, homeless pierce county, tacoma homeless project, project homeless.

 

How it works

 

Project Homeless Connect is a wonderful opportunity for community members to contribute their time, talents, and energy to making our county a better place to live. On October 15th, we hope to serve 750 people experiencing homelessness with the services they need to begin the journey back to safety, stability and hope.

 

Utilizing a huge cadre of volunteers, Project Homeless Connect offers access to:

 

§         Veterans services

§         Family support services

§         Basic medical and dental care

§         Domestic violence assistance

§         Mental health & chemical dependency assessments

§         Child care services

§         Benefits systems

§         Identification replacement

§         Flu shots

§         HIV testing

§         Education and employment services

§         Veterinary care

§         Podiatry

§         Haircuts

§         Food

§         Wound care

§         And more….

When people enter the front doors, they are greeted by friendly volunteers and offered the opportunity to enjoy a hot meal. Hand-washing stations are available for cleanup and volunteers are on hand to explain how the event works and what services are available.

Guests are asked to identify their top three needs and volunteer guides provide individual assistance to help ensure that those needs are met. This is particularly valuable in such a large and open venue, where simple navigation can be confusing!

Each ‘team’ (see list above) coordinates appointments and tracks the number and type of services provided and the number of clients seen. In some heavily utilized team areas, appointments are essential both for manageable flow and to allow guests to visit more than one service component during the limited hours of operation. Medical and dental services are triaged so that individual issues are addressed appropriately.

We ask for demographic information to help us better understand who is being served and what future needs may be. We also ask for feedback from guests and volunteers on the event itself to make sure that current needs are being satisfactorily met.

Secure childcare is available on site so that parents can focus on accessing services their families need. All volunteers are recognizable in their Project Homeless Connect T-shirts and Homeless Outreach teams roam the Exhibition Hall to help ensure a safe and positive experience for everyone.