October 2, 2015
Written by: Audra O’Connell, IMPACT 2-1-1
The number of individuals experiencing homelessness within Milwaukee County is staggering. In 2014, IMPACT, Inc. received calls from a total of 7,272 women, men and families in need of emergency shelter. To put this into perspective, Milwaukee’s homeless service system only has capacity to provide 3,040 “spaces” (emergency shelter, transitional housing, safe haven or permanent supportive housing) for people to reside.
This is why we are happy once again to collaborate with United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Continuum of Care for the 6th Annual Project Homeless Connect on October 22, 2015.
Project Homeless Connect has a simple mission to provide services and resources to homeless individuals and families. Beyond the need for safe and secure places to sleep, these individuals need a variety of other necessities in order to obtain the goal of permanent housing and sustainability.
Some of these include:
- Access to medical care
- Mental health services
- Employment
- Job training services
- Legal aid
This sounds great, but how does an individual take advantage of these resources when they have very limited access to a phone, transportation or are wondering where they are going to get their next meal?
Project Homeless Connect makes it easy. It’s a one stop shop for homeless individuals to get connected to all those services plus a great meal, basic hygiene items, a haircut and a portrait to share with their family
IMPACT, Inc. is proud to not only provide on-site services of information and referral via 2-1-1, but also substance abuse screening. Our 2-1-1 staff are thrilled to have been involved since the inception of this event and look forward to it each year, because it gives us the opportunity of seeing the look of relief on the clients face after they receive the help they so desperately need.
We are so grateful for the amazing collaborative work of United Way, City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants Administration and the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, for helping make an event like this a reality. Thank you for helping others recognize the fierce challenges our city’s homeless deal with on a daily basis. Thank you for making sure these individuals understand that our community cares and will not stop working until we end this issue.