Project Homeless Connect: A Step-by-Step Guide
Project Homeless Connect:A Step-by-Step GuideVersion 2.1December 2008United States Interagency Council on HomelessnessFederal Center SW 409 Third Street SW, Suite 310 Washington, DC 20024Phone: 202-708-4663 www.usich.gov Fax: 202-708-1216
Support for Project Homeless Connect“Project Homeless Connect is breaking the myth that people do not seek assistance and services and wouldrather be on the street. The data prove that when people are approached in a respectful and kind manner, andwith available resources, they are eager to accept help toward self-sufficiency.”– Mayor Gavin Newsom, City of San Francisco“This is the beginning of a new way to address homelessness Project Homeless Connect is a one-day, onestop shop to deliver real services to people experiencing real homelessness in our community. But this is alsoabout a commitment to move from simply managing homelessness towards really ending homelessness.”– Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis“Today we are building the community’s will to bring an end to homelessness. Government can’t do this alone.Project Homeless Connect brings in the support of our sponsors and our civic leaders. We need them.We need all of you.” – Mayor Tom Potter, City of Portland“Homeless Connect is more than a single day of outreach and service. It’s about getting the community – fromresidents to corporations – to make a commitment to being part of long-term solutions to homelessness.”– Mayor Bart Peterson, City of Indianapolis“Project Homeless Connect has evolved from the Knoxville/Knox County 10-Year Plan to End ChronicHomelessness, which calls for efforts by the whole community . . . to solve the problem. Project HomelessConnect is the first step to demonstrate how that can be done.” – Mayor Bill Haslam, City of Knoxville“We have hundreds of people enlisted for Project Homeless Connect. It’s become a real cause in our city. Atour State of the City Address which is attended by 1100 business people, the one line that got the mostapplause and support was that we are making good on our promise to end homelessness in our city andshowing results.”- Mayor Paul Fraim, City of Norfolk“What Project Homeless Connect is all about is welcoming our homeless neighbors back into our communityand providing the resources all in one place to create the trajectory to end their homelessness. “- Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Manganowww.usich.govii
Support for Project Homeless Connect“There’s things here that I’ve never heard of before that I didn’t even know I qualified for. It’s like abig mini-mall right here. Everything you need is right here.”– PHC Consumer“I’ve been all over this state homeless for five years, and I’ve never seen anything like this in mylife I just heard about this ‘connect’ thing on the street They’re saying out there that it’s notbull - . They say you can get real help. I think they’re right.”– PHC Consumer"It is very empowering to go and be a person that can extend some dignity to someone whohasn't felt it in years.”– PHC Volunteer“Project Homeless Connect models for other cities how to execute collective generosity.”– PHC Volunteer“Having worked in homeless services for the past 12 years I must admit that this is the mosthopeful and productive time I can recall.”- PHC Homeless Services Providerwww.usich.goviii
Project Homeless Connect in the News“Project Homeless Connect began small in San Francisco, and went national more than 6,000 homeless people in 21 cities fromNashua, N.H., to Hollywood has been fed, massaged and helped into welfare services or housing.”– San Francisco Chronicle – 12/9/2005“After registering with volunteers, participants were directed to stations that focused on social-services benefits, shelter andlong-term housing, employment and legal aid.”– San Jose Mercury News – 12/7/2006“An array of social services was made available but the underlying idea was to get as many as possible on a track to selfsufficiency and, ultimately, into a home.”– Knoxville News Sentinel – 12/9/2005“No sooner has southeastern Connecticut’s 10-year plan to fight homelessness been unveiled, a project took place that showed howwell it can work Project Homeless Connecticut did what the 10-year plan has set out to do, bringing government agencies,businesses and volunteers together to provide help. The plan was initiated under the auspices of theU.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.” – The Day, CT – 12/11/2006“Project Homeless Connect, a national initiative to help the homeless at one-stop events, for the first time brought together morethan 35 local nonprofits, businesses, government agencies and churches that offer services.”– Missoula Independent – 12/14/2006“For months, a Billings homeless man has been telling Lynda Woods, ‘You need to listen to us.’ As Woods worked to help organizethe Project Homeless Connect event she kept that man's words in mind The daylong event was meant to bring services togetherin one place for homeless people to gather information and help on housing, health care, legal issues and other basic needs. It wasorganized by the Mayor's Committee on Homelessness.”– Billings Gazette – 4/1/2007“Project Homeless Connect's operations are a lot like those of a business, which may be one reason local companies are findingit natural to get involved. Everyone, from the staff of the mayor's office to the volunteers to the community relations coordinatorsat the participating businesses, refer to the people PHC helps as ‘clients.’ And PHC has needs that businesses understand such assupply procurement and donation delivery. It also requires tracking clients and the services they've received and motivating largenumbers of ‘employees.’ ” San Francisco Business Times – 7/21/2006“Called National Project Homeless Connect volunteers from all walks of life reached out to people experiencing homelessness andoffered them a variety of services such as healthcare, legal aid, housing assistance, job opportunities, benefits enrollment, andmore Project Homeless Connect is growing in popularity as an approach that can not only make a difference in the lives ofhomeless people but also engage the community.”– PRNewswire – 12/7/2005www.usich.goviv
Table of ContentsWhat is Project Homeless Connect?1Where Did Project Homeless Connect Originate?2What are Characteristics of Project Homeless Connect?3What are Specific Themes of Project Homeless Connect?4Why Establish Project Homeless Connect?5The Ten Essential Elements of Project Homeless Connect61. Political / Civic Will72. Partnership103. Event Execution144. Planning Team185. Site Selection226. Volunteers287. Resources328. Consumer Engagement379. Media4110. Data and Results45Online Resources for Project Homeless Connect48vi
What is Project Homeless Connect (PHC)?¾ One-day: a community-wide event¾ One-stop: housing, support, and quality of liferesources¾ One-goal: ending homelessness¾ City/county or community-led¾ Consumer-centric¾ Outcome-orientedwww.usich.gov1
Where Did Project Homeless Connect Originate?Fall 2004: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom creates the first Project Homeless Connect toengage and welcome homeless people back into the community.Fall 2005: Communities across the country intuitively form temporary one-stops to welcome in thenewly homeless victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.Project Homeless Connect is similar in spirit and substance to these new responses as well as to theresource model historically provided by Stand Down events for veterans.December 2005: The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness launches the National ProjectHomeless Connect Partnership with its inaugural National Day on December 8; 26 cities implementthe innovation with over 5,400 volunteers welcoming over 8,800 homeless persons.December 2006: Council’s Annual PHC Event expands to a National Project Homeless ConnectWeek December 4-8, with 40 cities partnering with over 9,500 volunteers who welcome almost22,000 homeless persons.2007: The Council’s Annual Project Homeless Connect events include April’s National VolunteerService Week, October 2007 United Way Days of Caring across the nation, and National ProjectHomeless Connect Week December 3-9, with a total of 60 PHC events convened.2008: As the Fourth Annual National Project Homeless Connect Week starts, a total of more than 200cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia have adopted the innovation.www.usich.gov2
What are the Key Characteristics ofProject Homeless Connect?¾ Hospitality:Consumers as Welcomed Guests¾ Immediacy:Same-Day Results for Consumers¾ Community: Voluntary Civic Participation¾ Partnership: Across Agencies and Sectors¾ Excellence:Rigorous Evaluation and Improvementwww.usich.gov3
What are Specific Themes ofProject Homeless Connect?¾ Not business as usual. Disturb the status quo response.¾ No waiting in line. Homeless people do that enough.¾ Hospitality from the whole community. Government andbusiness leaders partner with faith and non-profit agencies.¾ Immediate access. Not simply referrals.¾ Quality of life resources. Including haircuts, massage and footcare, phone calls, eyeglasses, dental and medical care, meals,entertainment, wheelchair repair, and more.www.usich.gov4
Why Establish Project Homeless Connect?9 Enhance quality of life for the entire community9 Engage civic leaders in solutions to homelessness9 Re-engage our homeless neighbors with welcome andhospitality and resources.9 Seed / implement a component of a results-based 10-YearPlan.9 Transform homeless service delivery systems9 Increase public knowledge and awareness9 Debunk myths and stereotypes9 Increase investment / momentum toward solutions9 Offer quality of life resourceswww.usich.gov5
The Ten Essential Elements ofProject Homeless Connect1. Political / Civic Will2. Partnership3. Event Execution4. Planning Team5. Site Selection6. Volunteers7. Resources8. Consumer Engagement9. Media10. Data and Resultswww.usich.gov6
1. Political / Civic Will: OneLeadership from Jurisdictional CEOsMayor or county official leadership integrates PHC intojurisdictionally-led, community-based 10-Year Planactivities. Jurisdictional leaders and communitystakeholders involved in 10-Year Plans are a naturalconnection and foundation and: Re-prioritize local government resources Hasten creation of community partnerships Catalyze media interest Connect provider agencies operating in silos Mobilize corporate / local business resourceswww.usich.gov7
1. Political / Civic Will: TwoBest Practices in Leadership¾ San Francisco Mayor created the first PHC by taking citystaff and programs from City Hall to where homelessconsumers live.¾ Jurisdictions adopted PHC to support 10-Year Planactivities that reduce and end homelessness.¾ Lead PHC sponsors now include universities, businesses,communities, faith groups, and professional sports teams.www.usich.gov8
1. Political / Civic Will: ThreeBest Practices in Leadership¾ Los Angeles County passed a resolution declaringDecember 6 Project Homeless Connect Day.¾ Rhode Island Governor unveiled the State Action Plan toEnd Homelessness at Providence PHC.¾ Minneapolis/Hennepin County, Norwich, New London, andColumbia SC integrated PHC into their 10-Year Plans.¾ Berkeley positioned officials at Youth Connect asMaitre d’s to homeless consumers dining at theirConnect Café.www.usich.gov9
2. Partnership: OneThe Public SectorAs is the case in the development of 10-YearPlans, partnership of the public and privatesectors is essential. They offer complementaryresources and access.Government partners include: City agencies County agencies State agencies Federal agencies USICH Regional Coordinatorwww.usich.gov10
2. Partnership: TwoThe Private SectorPrivate sector event partners include:¾ United Way/ Philanthropy¾ Behavioral Health Providers¾ Business and Civic Leaders¾ Transportation Agencies¾ Banks/ CRA Representatives¾ Workforce Agencies¾ Chambers of Commerce¾ Faith-Based Organizations¾ Downtown Associations¾ Law Enforcement / Courts¾ Housing Developers/ PHAs¾ Veterans Organizations¾ Tourism Officials/ Hospitality¾ Advocates/ Providers/ Non-Profits¾ Academia – Colleges/Universities ¾ Consumers¾ Technical Colleges¾ Libraries¾ Trade Schools¾ Parks & Recreation Agencies¾ Hospitals/ Health Centers¾ Sports Teamswww.usich.gov11
2. Partnership: ThreeBest Practices in Partnership¾San Francisco and Portland engaged professional sportsteams – the Giants and Trailblazers - to sponsor and addvisibility.¾Denver and San Francisco partnered with corporationsoffering PHC involvement to corporate one-day serviceevents.¾Winston-Salem engaged every level of government and theprivate sector in PHC volunteerism.¾New Jersey United Way coordinated 43 PHC’s on one daypartnered with corporations, colleges, and churches.www.usich.gov12
2. Partnership: FourBest Practices in Partnership¾ Denver officials declared October 7 PHC as ComcastCares Day.¾ San Francisco hosts a partner orientation and tour atevery PHC.¾ Partners invited to speak during PHC orientation.¾ Michigan provided 1,000 grants to seed the modellocally.¾ San Jose set aside 25 housing vouchers at PHC.www.usich.gov13
3. Event Execution: OneSample PHC Plan Framework¾ Create an overall plan that takes you from conception toplanning and marketing and include strategies for the daysbefore, the day of, and the days following PHC.¾ Develop a plan for the day of PHC that includes: Doors open at : am for volunteers and staff. Set up Volunteer orientation – review location of all resources. Match volunteer requests with available opportunities. Doors open at : am for homeless consumers. No lines – homeless people go to meal site and sit at tables.Entertainment provided. Mobile Hospitality Volunteers (MHV’s) assisted by specialistsescort consumers from tables to available resources. MHV follows and remains with consumer through every meeting.www.usich.gov14
3. Event Execution: OneBest Practices in Delivering for ConsumersPHC is not about waiting in lines or signing up on long waitinglists, or creating false expectations. PHC is about delivery,execution, and results. On the day of PHC, remember to:9 Be prepared to troubleshoot issues as they arise9 Remain flexible with volunteer and other resources9 Recognize and include sponsors, partners, and officials9 Be diligent in obtaining consumer feedback9 Learn from what worked and what didn’t9 Publicize results immediately and celebrate successwww.usich.gov15
3. Event Execution: TwoBest Practices in Delivering for Consumers¾ Los Angeles provides client support to assure allhomeless consumers get connected during events.¾ Many communities triage consumers at intake based onlevel of need to maximize use of limited medical and otherresources.¾ Some jurisdictions design space layouts to facilitate flowand maximize accessibility for consumers during theevent.www.usich.gov16
3. Event Execution: ThreeBest Practices in Delivering for Consumers¾ Denver color codes T-shirts for easy identification ofvolunteers who are team leads, bilingual, or trained inmental health to better serve consumers.¾ San Francisco hosts same-day debriefing sessions tosolicit volunteer and homeless consumer feedback onwhat worked and what didn’t.¾ Many communities assess what keeps consumers fromparticipating and remove those barriers by offeringstorage, pet-sitting, childcare, transportation, meals, andwheelchairs.www.usich.gov17
4. Planning Team: OnePlanning Gets Results¾ 10-Year Plans and PHC planning demonstrate that: Planning leads to results Without a plan things only get worse¾ PHC is supported by planning teams that choreographthe event and develop and replicate best practices.¾ Most PHC’s are supported by jurisdictional or corporatefunding.www.usich.gov18
4. Planning Team: TwoProject Homeless Connect AmbassadorsThe planning team should consist of a: Director - ideally affiliated with the lead city/county Small core group accountable to the Directorwhose decisions are informed by: Homeless / formerly homeless consumers An advisory representative from each partner group Those who have experienced a successful PHC first-handwww.usich.gov19
4. Planning Team: ThreeBest Practices in Planning¾ San Francisco developed plans for intake, support, outreach,discharge, food, data entry, medical, activities, set-up, break down,housing and shelter, and legal.¾ Minneapolis / Hennepin County set a short planning timeline for thefirst PHC and engages a diverse steering committee made up of cityand county staff, providers, community volunteers, and peopleexperiencing homelessness to plan every PHC event.¾ Communities across the country accessed USICH technical assistanceresources as part of their PHC planning process.www.usich.gov20
4. Planning Team: ThreeBest Practices in Planning¾ Multiple PHC’s are coordinated on a single day by LosAngeles County (8) and New Jersey (43).¾ Police officers established and led PHC in St. Paul.¾ Knoxville relied on Ambassadors for each resource areato achieve necessary partnerships and then coordinatethem all during the event.¾ San Francisco and Minneapolis/Hennepin Countypositioned formerly homeless consumers as key PHCteam leads.www.usich.gov21
5. Site Selection: OneCharacteristics of PHC VenuesPHC is not business as usual, and a community site that isnot associated with homelessness is preferred. Select avenue that conveys a sense of welcome to homelessconsumers and that is:9 Large9 Centrally located9 Known to the community9 Indoors9 A civic, faith, corporate, or university facility9 Unusual for the consumer to visitwww.usich.gov22
5. Site Selection: TwoLocation, Location, LocationExceptional PHC venues include:9San Francisco Civic Auditorium9Duluth Convention Center9Denver University9Knoxville Convention Center9Minneapolis Convention Center9Norfolk Scope Exhibit Hall9Richmond Auditorium9Salinas Sherwood Hall9Portland Memorial Coliseum9Indiana Convention Center9San Jose Parkside Hall9San Diego Golden Gate Hall9Orlando Downtown Rec Center9Providence Cathedralwww.usich.gov23
5. Site Selection: ThreeSet a Date for Project Homeless ConnectSetting and communicating a PHC date makes it real andstreamlines the planning process. When selecting a date,keep in mind the advantages of hosting PHC during the:¾ National Project Homeless Connect Week¾ United Way Days of Caring¾ Corporate service day¾ Hot summer season¾ Winter holiday seasonwww.usich.gov24
5. Site Selection: FourStaging the Event¾ Develop a conscious design for use of the space¾ Create a welcoming and festive environment¾ Post clear signage, floor plans, and maps¾ Accommodate media and special guests¾ Assure accessibility for those with special needs¾ Plan for 2-hours to setup and 2-hours to breakdown¾ Ensure that consumers do not wait in any lines¾ Serve meals with music entertainment¾ Provide mobile hospitality by volunteers wherever consumers gowww.usich.gov25
5. Site Selection: FiveBest Practices in Site Selection & Staging¾ Minneapolis/Hennepin County launch PHC with theConvention Center and partner with U of MN School ofDesign students to create floor plan, event flow, andsignage.¾ Denver hosts successive PHC’s in various sites as astrategy to engage new partners and homeless consumers.¾ San Jose implements mobile Project Homeless Connect incity areas where consumers have not been engaged.¾ San Francisco develops and refines floor plan and resourcelist for use by all at Project Homeless Connects. Thisensures that successive PHC’s are more easily organized.www.usich.gov26
5. Site Selection: SixBest Practices in Site Selection & StagingPHC are sited through:¾ local jurisdictions to secure civic auditoriums, othercity/county-owned space at no cost to host PHC.¾ faith-based groups to serve as event hosts inchurches.www.usich.gov27
6. Volunteers: OneRecruitmentVolunteers are one half of t
Project Homeless Connect: A Step-by-Step Guide Version 2.1 December 2008 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Federal Center SW 409 Third Street SW, Suite 310 Washington, DC 20024 Phone: 202-708-4663 www.usich.gov Fax: 202-708-1216
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