September 30, 2009 – The City of Springfield was the host of Project Homeless Connect, an event which allows homeless families and individuals the opportunity to access multiple service providers in one place, on one day. This year’s event was held at the MassMutual Center on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., and focused on homeless families.
The following is a breakdown of the services provided:
SPRINGFIELD PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT 2009
- Estimated 1000 guests
- More than 600 volunteers
- 80 vendors: service provider agencies, state and city departments, landlords
HOUSING
- 13 people housed, with an expected minimum of 10 more to be housed by the end of the week due to assistance received at the event
- 642 people received ‘housing triage’ counseling from trained housing counselors
- 576 completed applications for public and Section 8 housing
- 85-90 completed applications for sober housing programs; 20 completed applications for other housing programs
IDENTIFICATION
- 398 people obtained Massachusetts IDs
- 221 people ordered birth certificates
CIVIC & ADVOCACY
- 8 people registered to vote
- 68 people obtained advice about consumer issues, with 24 intakes or follow-up appointments made
- 2 people went to court to address outstanding warrants—one of these was a homeless veteran who was able to get his license back from RMV after having the warrant lifted
- 23 people received information or advice regarding immigration issues
HEALTH
- 76 people applied for MassHealth
- 41 people obtained health exams/direct medical care
- 55 people obtained chiropractic care
- 40 people received foot care
- 2 people went to detox
- 8 applications were completed for the Statewide Head Injury Program
- 6 people obtained mental health screens, and 13 mental health appointments were made
- 150 blood sugar screens completed, and 8 people with high blood sugar provided follow-up appointments
- 110 hypertension screenings completed
- 225 dental screenings completed, with 22 follow-up appointments made
- 16 HIV/STD tests completed, with 3 follow-up appointments made
- 50 TB tests completed
- 92 skin cancer/sun damage screenings completed
- 45 eye exams completed, with anyone needed a prescription given a follow-up appointment to obtain free eyeglasses
- 244 reading glasses and 290 sunglasses distributed
INCOME & PUBLIC BENEFITS
- 21 applications for Social Security Administration application
- 25 people obtained Social Security cards
- 31 people applied for food stamps
- 20 people obtained information about fuel assistance
- 82 people received assistance with tax information & returns
- 22 people obtained information about free cell phones and minutes from SafeLink Wireless
VETERANS SERVICES
- 22 people completed applications for veterans benefits
- 35 accessed veterans services, with 6 follow-up appointments made
OTHER
- 525 people obtained haircuts
- 200 bus tickets were given out
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno stated that Project Homeless Connect 2009 was a success and extended his appreciation to all of the coordinators and service providers who participated in this year’s event. “The event participants can take comfort in knowing that they helped to improve the quality of life for many thankful service recipients,” stated Sarno.