Thursday March 18, 2010 Lane Events Center at the Fairgrounds Eugene, Oregon

1. Thursday March 18, 2010 Lane Events Center at the Fairgrounds Eugene, Oregon

2. End slavery, end homelessness “It is very much ingrained in me that you do not manage a social wrong. You should be ending it.” - Phillip Mangano United States Interagency Council on Homelessness FormerExecutive Director "Instead of serving homeless people endlessly, our mission is to end their homelessness.” - Phillip Mangano

3. Department of Housing and Urban Development Definition of homelessness Individuals, including children and youth, who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

4. Faces of homelessness

5. Faces of homelessness

6. Faces of homelessness

7. Defining homelessness An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill)

8. a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings Who is homeless? • An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is:

11. Lane County 2010One Night Homeless Count On a given night in Lane County, 3,971 people were homeless

12. Some Data Highlights: 1,250 were living in an emergency shelter or rental assistance or permanent housing program 2,541 were turned away due to lack of space or they were otherwise unsheltered • 607 individuals were members of families with children • 1,215 were chronically homeless • 317 were veterans Who is homeless? One Night Homeless Count January 27, 2010 Lane County Human Services Commission 3,971 people were homeless on a given night in January.

13. People in poverty struggle to pay for: • housing • food • health care • transportation • childcare

14. Home for some in our community

15. Seeking help 11,784 households were homeless at some point during the year and sought services from local programs (Lane County Human Services Commission 2009 data)

16. Some history about PHC 2010 Project Homeless Connect for Lane County was conceived by local community leaders who attended the 2006 Oregon Leadership Summit on Ending Chronic Homelessness They represented service providers, the Lane County Human Services Commission, Cities of Eugene and Springfield, and the United Way of Lane County

17. More history about PHC 2010 They believed that this event would make an important contribution to local initiatives: • Lane County 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness • Eugene City Council’s 2007 Helping the Homeless “Blue Ribbon Committee” • City of Springfield’s standing commitment to its most vulnerable citizens.

18. What is PHC? Offers one day and one location to address basic needs and access critical services Engages and increases involvement of individual volunteers, the business and non-profit community Leverages private, corporate and foundation money and in-kind support

19. Project Homeless Connect 2010 • 1,402 guests in attendance • 581 community volunteers • 301 service providers representing 106 businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit service organizations • 155 cash and 73 in-kind donors

20. Reception • Finding out what our guests need at intake/reception area

21. Volunteers greet each guest and listen to their stories A homeless guest commented that she enjoyed the massage services the most. “No one likes to touch homeless people. Being touched was so humanizing.“

22. Basic demographics of event guests in 2010 • 41% of guests were women • 11% were veterans • 9% of guests were children under the age of 18 • 2% were seniors 65 and older

23. Sampling of services offered: • Medical • Dental • Vision services • Basic needs • Child and family services • Employment • Housing and energy assistance • Haircuts • ID assistance • Benefits information • Bike repair • Confidential services

24. Sampling of services provided during the day • 1,500 personal and dental hygiene kits given away • 2,670 meals served • 315 haircuts or beard trims by Supercuts • 221 consultations about employment

25. More services provided during the event: • 64 people applied for rental housing • 121 people received vouchers for eye glasses from Rainbow Optics • 100 dogs and cats received vet exams • 50 spay or neuter vouchers were distributed

26. Dental Vision Transportation • 182 people received extractions, cleanings or other services from a dentist • 215 saw a doctor or nurse • 349 people had eye exams • 1,000 LTD bus passes were distributed for follow-up appointments after the event

27. Critical needs • 32% of guests came to the event with a medical, dental or vision concern • 78.5% did not have Oregon Health Plan or health insurance

28. Who came to the event? 36% of PHC guests spent the previous night sleeping outdoors or in a car

29. Project Homeless Connect 2010 How Can I Help? • Volunteer • Make a tax-deductible contribution to United Way of Lane County-Project Homeless Connect Go to www.homelessconnect.orgfor more information

30. Next Steps Volunteer with social service agencies and faith communities that work with homeless people. Visit www.211lane.org Donate items, such as clothing, sleeping bags, coats, backpacks, and toiletries to agencies that work with people who are homeless. Make a tax-deductible contribution to a Lane County nonprofit organization.

31. Next Steps Be an advocate for homeless or at-risk people with local, state and federal elected officials. Tell people at your place of employment, civic groups, and social networks about the issues faced by homeless families and individuals. Explore together what we cando to help end homelessness.

32. Don’t look the other way!

33. What else can I do? • Look for the announcement for the date for PHC 2011 • Share information about the event with those who could benefit

34. “If we dream and work together as a community, we can end homelessness.” www.homelessconnect.org