Chairman Hawkins Kicks Off 2010 "Project Homeless Connect" at Osceola Heritage Park

Osceola County, Florida – Osceola County Chairman Fred Hawkins, Jr., along with City of Kissimmee and St. Cloud officials, helped kick off the 2010 "Project Homeless Connect" event held last Friday at Osceola Heritage Park. The event, now in its second year, is a Homeless Services Network (HSN) one-day program to provide outreach, services and housing in a convenient one-stop model for men, women and families experiencing homelessness in Osceola County.

Osceola County Manager Don Fisher and several members of the Executive Team assisted at the event as part of their ongoing annual community service day initiative. They joined 200 community volunteers who signed up to serve the estimated 600 homeless persons who are living in camps, on the streets, in vehicles and in abandoned buildings in the county, as well as families living in motel rooms along the US 192 corridor.

"Project Homeless Connect is about helping people by providing them the services and tools they need to gain self-sufficiency, and I am humbled and encouraged by the incredible outpouring of support from our community to provide these critical services," said Chairman Hawkins, Jr. "We accomplished much with this event, but much more continues to be needed."

The event offered services from more than 50 nonprofits, faith-based groups, county agencies and local businesses, and included medical care, showers, meals, employability skills, mental health services and counseling; homeless Veterans were able to complete applications for benefits; individuals and families were able to apply for food stamps and other benefits through the Department of Children and Families; the Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security Administration, Osceola County Vital Statistics and legal services assisted eligible clients in applying for IDs, driver's licenses, birth certificates and Social Security cards; security deposits, utility payments and other rent/utility assistance were available for those who qualified.

As a result of its January 2010 Point-in-Time Count, HSN estimates that more than 1,800 men, women and children are homeless in Osceola County. Thirty-five percent of the homeless population has been homeless more than one year, with an additional 32% reporting being homeless for three months to one year. There are more than 40 homeless camps in Osceola County. It is this segment of the population that Project Homeless Connect seeks to serve by offering practical, compassionate services that encourage participants to re-engage with agencies that can help them get off the streets and return to self-sufficiency and a productive life.

For more information on this event, please contact Cathy Jackson, Executive Director of the Homeless Services Network, at (407) 893-0133 ext. 101.

Photo 1 Caption: Osceola County Chairman Fred Hawkins, Jr. addresses volunteers before Project Homeless Connect begins.

Photo 2 Caption: Volunteers at intake, where needs were determined and services assigned.

Photo 3 Caption: Hundreds of folks in need of assistance wait in line at Osceola Heritage Park for Project Homeless Connect.

"Keep Osceola Beautiful"