Guests at 2016 Project Homeless Connect.
September 26, 2017
Produced by Katie Kuhn, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
To many outsiders, Milwaukee has two faces: one of privilege, and one of need.
As of the last count, nearly 1,400 people in Milwaukee are homeless and 1 in 3 live in poverty.
Milwaukee is also home to Marquette University, home to thousands of students who may have never experienced homelessness or poverty, and many of whom are from out of state.
Each fall, Marquette opens its doors to Milwaukee’s homeless population for Project Homeless Connect, a one-day, one-stop shop event which brings resources and services to those in Milwaukee who need them most. Not only does Marquette lend its Alumni Memorial Union as the location for the event, but volunteer students from Mardi Gras, the largest student organization at Marquette, help staff the event.
I visited the Alumni Memorial Union to talk with Gerry Fischer, Associate Director of Campus Ministry at Marquette and Maggie McDonald, Marquette Senior and Community Outreach Coordinator for Mardi Gras, about their involvement in this annual event, including the moment from past years that they can’t forget.
Volunteer to help guide guests around the available resources and services at the 2017 Project Homeless Connect event. Learn more and register.
Can’t make it to PHC this year? Purchase an item off of our Amazon Wish List. All of these items will be handed out to guests at Project Homeless Connect.
Learn more about the Milwaukee Continuum of Care and their goal to eliminate homelessness in our community.