The Homeless Connect event was the brainchild of shelter manager Doris Starling of the Midnight Mission, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit contracted to run The Courtyard, and Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, whose First District includes the Civic Center.
Information and services were available from a variety of participants: Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Public Defender's Office, 2-1-1 Orange County, Illumination Foundation, Share Ourselves, Goodwill of Orange County, the Orange County Rescue Mission, Orange County Food Bank, and a medical outreach called Serve the People that will bring a mobile clinic weekly to the Courtyard.
To encourage people to make connections with service providers, volunteers handed out a raffle ticket to anyone who came out to see what was happening and another one if they completed a Scavenger Hunt Bingo that involved stopping by each station. Raffle prizes included gift cards to Target and Walgreens and movie tickets.
In addition to the raffle, there were new blankets and hygiene kits, and people could get their blood pressure and glucose levels tested.
To read more of Theresa Walker's article, please click here.
Comments (0)