Project Homeless Connect served hundreds of needy people
By Janet Stevens / The Bulletin
Published: December 21. 2007 4:00AM PST
Just about two months after the Oct. 13 event, the folks who put on Project Homeless Connect have issued their final report. It’s filled with the sorts of numbers that help put a face on poverty in Central Oregon and highlight the things that become most difficult for those either without homes or in danger of losing the homes they have.
First, a reminder of just what Project Homeless Connect was this year. On Oct. 13, the Hooker Creek Event Center at the Deschutes County fairgrounds opened its doors to those in the region struggling to make ends meet. The combined efforts of those who work daily with the homeless and nearly so made the event possible; agencies from Habitat for Humanity to Grandma’s House of Central Oregon to the state Department of Human Services to Central Oregon Community College were there to lend a hand to the 1,200 men, women and children who were guests at the daylong event.
Now, on to the numbers. Between cash and in-kind donations, sponsors raised nearly $46,000 for Project Homeless Connect, including a $10,000 anonymous donation. Of that, $10,000 was set aside to provide direct shelter and housing assistance that will be given out as grants.
Event sponsors counted 1,200 guests that Saturday, including 600 children. Childhood poverty may be hard to see in Central Oregon, but it’s here, nonetheless. Based on the number of school-aged kids who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches at school, in fact, nearly a third of the children in Central Oregon are poor, as are almost half of those in Crook County. Far worse is the situation in Jefferson County, where just over three-quarters of kids get school lunches at low or no cost. Reduced-price lunches are available to kids whose family income is 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or just over $38,000 annually for a family of four, while free lunches go to kids with income at 130 percent of the poverty line, or $26,845 annually. And, while that first number in particular may seem high, consider that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates that a family will spend $1,000 monthly just on a three-bedroom apartment and utilities in Bend and will have to earn nearly $20 per hour to do so.
Guests were served by more than 500 volunteers aged 8 and up. More than 140 organizations, businesses and agencies offered both services and supplies, everything from hot meals to veterinary care to housing assistance to the ability to make phone calls or write letters.
Nearly 200 people took advantage of the free transportation offered from every larger city in Central Oregon.
Among the most popular stations at the event itself was the dental stop, where 128 people saw dental needs addressed by professionals from Northwest Medical Teams. If those guests who took the time to answer questionnaires reflected the feelings of the larger group, the day could have used far more dentists. As it was, 128 guests, including seven children, had dental needs addressed. Another 132 received medical treatment, everything from pregnancy tests to immunizations to HIV tests.
“Café Connect” served hot meals, breakfast and lunch, to 1,200, while 168 emergency food boxes were delivered. About 25 guests signed up for financial classes and 32 got credit reports and credit counseling. Forty bike locks were given away, as were 59 sleeping bags. Guests got information on outdoor survival, outdoor cooking and frostbite prevention.
And, about a quarter of those at the event took advantage of the housing services available. Several elderly homeless women sought advice, and just over $2,000 in rental assistance was handed out. Volunteers talked with families struggling to make ends meet in motels (including one family of four doing so but out of money), struggling to pay utilities, struggling to find a more permanent home than the family car.
All those numbers add up to the beginnings of planning for next year’s Project Homeless Connect, developers say, and some changes are on the horizon. They know they need to expand on-site medical and dental care and want to be able to give away free glasses and have a denture clinic there. More financial advice services are needed, and veterinary services should be expanded. There were some problems with transportation accessibility for the handicapped, and those likely will be addressed.
Add it all up, event coordinators say, the region’s first effort at one-stop shopping for the homeless was a success, though it could be improved. They plan to do just that in the year ahead.
Janet Stevens is deputy editor of The Bulletin.