Contact:
Clifton Harris
Homelessness Coordinator
Phone: 615-252-8451
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More than 5,500 Services Provided in One Day

Nashville, Tenn. (Dec 13, 2008) – Project Homeless Connect, which was held in Nashville on Dec. 2 for the first time, provided more than 5,500 needed services to the 1,078 attendees in one day.

Housing providers pledged 68 housing units for homeless people. After the event, 29 chronically homeless people were moved into housing or are on the way to move into housing possibly before year’s end. Providers are currently screening and processing 110 people for housing.

Clifton Harris, homeless services coordinator for the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission, said the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) assisted more than 300 attendees with Section 8 Housing applications.

“Housing is the single most important element to fight homelessness,” Harris said. “That’s why the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission has adopted the Housing First approach, which already has a proven success record in Nashville and across the nation.”

Housing First focuses on moving homeless people into permanent housing quickly and then providing them with additional, individualized and need-based services to keep them in housing. The goal is provide homeless consumers with supportive housing (housing coupled with case management and services) to help each person live as independently as possible.

Project Homeless Connect Nashville was heavily focused on connecting consumers with housing opportunities.

“We are proud to announce that MDHA has allotted 35 Section 8 slots to the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission,” Harris said. “What this means is that we can approach 35 of the most vulnerable homeless persons, who otherwise were at risk of dying in the streets of Nashville, and move them into housing.”

Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said Nashville’s Metropolitan Homelessness Commission was the first organizer who successfully managed to bring together public and private sector providers at the inaugural Project Homeless Connect event.

Other inaugural events largely focus on public sector providers. However, Nashville brought more than 50 providers from the public, private and nonprofit sectors together and with the support of 290 volunteers managed to provide more than 5,500 services, most of them within six hours.

Services provided include:

• More than 600 consumers received medical services including bone density screenings, HIV/AIDS testing, breast examinations, hearing tests, full medical exams, information on health insurance, and more.
• 210 people received job information services such as help with job applications, interviewing and resume writing.
• 61 consumers received their ID with 112 receiving information on how to obtain their ID.
• 144 received foot care, 160 dental screenings, 217 eye screenings, 350 haircuts, and much more.

“Two people were sent to the hospital after their medical screening determined that their lives were in danger because of hyper tension,” Harris said. “Another big success was the ability to help consumers remove legal barriers to housing.”

Legal services were provided by Legal Aid and the Public Defender’s Office. Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton kept the General Sessions Court open to handle all the cases that were referred to her from Project Homeless Connect. Final numbers from the Public Defender’s Office are not available yet because they are still processing cases.

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