Agencies 'connect' with homeless
Offer of free meal, haircut, clothes draws hundreds
Daryl Slade
Calgary Herald
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Original here
Ben Fredricks gets a haircut from volunteer Juhli Khemaroth at Project Homeless Connect.
CREDIT: Lorraine Hjalte, Calgary Herald
Ben Fredricks gets a haircut from volunteer Juhli Khemaroth at Project Homeless Connect.
Ben Fredricks sauntered into the Telus Convention Centre Saturday, got a good meal, a badly needed haircut, a shot of self-esteem and scanned clothes racks in hopes of finding a pair of jeans.
All in all, it was a good day for the 29-year-old man who has been living at the Sunalta homeless shelter, dealing with an alcohol addiction in hopes of being able to reintegrate into the work force.
Offer of free meal, haircut, clothes draws hundreds
Daryl Slade
Calgary Herald
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Original here
Ben Fredricks gets a haircut from volunteer Juhli Khemaroth at Project Homeless Connect.
CREDIT: Lorraine Hjalte, Calgary Herald
Ben Fredricks gets a haircut from volunteer Juhli Khemaroth at Project Homeless Connect.
Ben Fredricks sauntered into the Telus Convention Centre Saturday, got a good meal, a badly needed haircut, a shot of self-esteem and scanned clothes racks in hopes of finding a pair of jeans.
All in all, it was a good day for the 29-year-old man who has been living at the Sunalta homeless shelter, dealing with an alcohol addiction in hopes of being able to reintegrate into the work force.
"I think it's great," he said after participating in the inaugural
Project Homeless Connect. "This gives people a chance to get a decent
meal away from the shelters and clothing they need, plus basics like
health care and a haircut."
Fredricks praised the 100-plus "friendly and helpful" volunteers and 50 agencies that provided the free services to him and well over 500 others just like him.
Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, which was conducting the first such event in a 10-year plan aimed at providing services to people experiencing homelessness, said he was "pleasantly surprised" when there were more than 150 people lined up before the doors opened.
Most of them are living in the various homeless shelters and many are recent arrivals to the city.
"This is our first try at this, so we didn't know what to expect," said Richter. "We knew the demand was there and we expected quite a few people, but it has been steady all day."
Richter said the idea that was borrowed from the United States, which has similar programs in some 130 cities, adding that he believes it is the first of its kind in Canada. It is supported through the provincial lotteries' community initiative program.
He said there are services from primary care, such as medical assistance, legal advice for those who require assistance like how to obtain identification to be able to get a job, access services and programs in daily life and affordable accommodation.
"I loved just getting to chat with everybody, hear different stories about their lives," said Richter. "It all helps us to do what we can to help them in their homelessness.
"This is a deliberate effort to reach out to people and, instead of giving what we want to give them, give them what they need. We want to reach out to them on a human level."
Richter said the plan is to hold such events three or four times a year. They are scheduled for the fall and just before Christmas.
dslade@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2008
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
Fredricks praised the 100-plus "friendly and helpful" volunteers and 50 agencies that provided the free services to him and well over 500 others just like him.
Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, which was conducting the first such event in a 10-year plan aimed at providing services to people experiencing homelessness, said he was "pleasantly surprised" when there were more than 150 people lined up before the doors opened.
Most of them are living in the various homeless shelters and many are recent arrivals to the city.
"This is our first try at this, so we didn't know what to expect," said Richter. "We knew the demand was there and we expected quite a few people, but it has been steady all day."
Richter said the idea that was borrowed from the United States, which has similar programs in some 130 cities, adding that he believes it is the first of its kind in Canada. It is supported through the provincial lotteries' community initiative program.
He said there are services from primary care, such as medical assistance, legal advice for those who require assistance like how to obtain identification to be able to get a job, access services and programs in daily life and affordable accommodation.
"I loved just getting to chat with everybody, hear different stories about their lives," said Richter. "It all helps us to do what we can to help them in their homelessness.
"This is a deliberate effort to reach out to people and, instead of giving what we want to give them, give them what they need. We want to reach out to them on a human level."
Richter said the plan is to hold such events three or four times a year. They are scheduled for the fall and just before Christmas.
dslade@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2008
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
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