Over 500 People Find Help at Project Homeless Connect

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United Way of Central Maryland’s Third Project Homeless Connect In Harford County Helps 550 Struggling Individuals Gain Access to Over 50 Services

 

Yesterday, United Way of Central Maryland helped 550 struggling individuals and families at the organization’s Project Homeless Connect in Harford County. In its third year, United Way gathered 59 local organizations and more than 500 community volunteers to ensure local community members received the vital services they needed, at Project Homeless Connect. At last year’s event, 450 individuals were helped by 200 volunteers in attendance.

Each of the volunteers at Tuesday’s Harford County Project Homeless Connect event were matched one-on-one with an adult or family, who helped guide them to the critical services they were in need of the most. Similar to last year, this year’s event featured an onsite dental clinic, thanks to Fallston Family Dentistry and many other private practices, who offered cleanings, fillings and extractions to 165 patients over the course of the day — up from last year’s total of 64. In addition to the dental clinic, on-the-spot critical services — ranging from housing information, photo ID, birth certificates, employment programs, haircuts, legal services and more — were available at the event. There were 114 vision screenings completed and 107 eyeglasses prescribed to individuals during yesterday’s event.

 

“When individuals are United on a common goal, they can make a real, positive impact — and Project Homeless Connect is proof of that,” said Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland. “When you can see the relief and gratitude in someone’s eyes just from receiving a haircut or proper care for a bad tooth, it is humbling and also demonstrates the immeasurable positive impact this event can have on so many lives. We are so grateful for the dedication and thoughtfulness of our volunteers and service providers who gave their time and resources to help their local neighbors in need.”

 

Replicated in more than 300 cities, Project Homeless Connect is a resource fair that provides those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness on-the-spot services all in one place. This past fall, United Way hosted its sixth Project Homeless Connect in Baltimore City, which assisted 2,400 individuals and families in need of help. United Way of Central Maryland’s Project Homeless Connect in Harford County was made possible thanks to generous partnerships with the Harford County Government Harford Community College, as well as many other generous sponsors including APG Federal Credit Union Arena, APGFCU, Harford Mutual, Healthy Harford, Jones Junction, Jordan Thomas Salon & Spa, NVS Merle Norman Salon, Pats Pizza and Wells Fargo Advisors.

To learn more about this year’s Project Homeless Connect, please visit www.uwcm.org/phc.

 

 

 

 

United Way of Central Maryland fights for the education, employment, housing and health of every person in every community. For more than 90 years, United Way of Central Maryland has been improving lives in the communities it serves – Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard Counties, and Baltimore City – through programs like its 15 Family Stability sites that prevent homelessness and help families achieve self-sufficiency, and On Track 4 Success, a program in select schools throughout the region that identifies and helps young students stay on track to graduate high school

 

In January 2017, United Ways in Maryland released the ALICE® Report, revealing that more than a third of Maryland households – nearly 750,000 – either live in poverty, or qualify at or below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold. United Way of Central Maryland fights to stabilize these ALICE residents and those that fall below the Federal Poverty Level.

In addition to the ALICE Report, United Way’s work is supported by the 2-1-1 Maryland United Way Helpline, a 24-hour, 7-day a week service that has provided information and referrals on health and human service needs for more than 10 years.

To learn more about the United Way of Central Maryland, visit www.uwcm.org.

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