Homeless Connect Edmonton 6

Edmonton’s sixth Homeless Connect took place today the Shaw Conference Centre. The biannual event brings together service agencies, businesses, and volunteers to provide a range of free services to homeless people or people at risk of becoming homeless. Guests can get a haircut, pick up a pair of work boots, learn how to get identification, eat lunch, and much, much more. Today was the fifth time that Sharon and I have volunteered at the event. Preliminary numbers for today put the number of volunteers at more than 300 and the number of guests served at 1409.

This year I was assigned the task of being a guide (I’ve done registration the last few times). Guides are responsible for taking a guest from registration to their first service. Along the way I tried to point out where all of the major services were located, suggesting that they check out clothing, dental, and haircuts first (as they are always the busiest). I found that being a guide was a great way to see all of the services, but it wasn’t quite as enjoyable for connecting with guests. The conversation you have at the registration table is much better for that.

Every guest receives a kit filled with essential items like socks, toothpaste, and deodorant.

Work boots are always a popular item at Homeless Connect. They go quickly!

The biggest line-ups today seemed to be for haircuts, always a popular service.

I was a little surprised to hear that more than 1400 people went through the doors today. That’s higher than it has been at previous Homeless Connect events, and is especially high for a spring event (the fall event tends to be busier because it is cold outside). Given that the number of homeless people decreased last year (at least according to the count) I would have expected a corresponding drop in attendance at Homeless Connect. Maybe there were more people at risk of being homeless there today.

I’m always struck by the social aspect of Homeless Connect. It’s an important opportunity for old friends to reconnect.

If you’d like to volunteer for the next Homeless Connect, scheduled for October, you can learn more here. Stay tuned to Homeless Connect Edmonton on Twitter for updates. You can see the rest of my photos from today here.

Homeless Connect Edmonton 3

Edmonton’s third Homeless Connect was held yesterday at the Shaw Conference Centre (I wrote about HCE2 here). Over 1100 people attended to receive free services from more than 60 local agencies. Guests could make long distance phone calls, get haircuts, see a dentist, find a winter jacket, and much more all for free. New this time around was supervised child care, increased Aboriginal services, and free photographs! Everyone was served a hot lunch and received a gender-appropriate “goodie bag” too.

“It was a great day. The amount of people and services that come together to support our neighbors is exceptional,” says Joanne Currie, Homeless Connect co-chair and Community Investment Specialist with the United Way. “It’s vital that people dealing with homelessness access these services, and it’s wonderful that they can find these easily, on one day and under one roof.”

There were more than 300 volunteers on hand for the day. Some of us were there all day, while others took either the morning or afternoon shift. Everything seemed much better organized this time around, and there was far less confusion among volunteers about where to be and what to do. It’s great to see that the organizers have acted on feedback from previous events to improve things.

I’m continually amazed at how many volunteers come out for the event. I’m also pleasantly surprised that so many of them are young! I have no idea what the average age of a Homeward Trust volunteer is, but I suspect its lower than the average for most service organizations. It’s great to see young people taking an active role in helping the less fortunate and improving our community.

I worked at registration this time, which I really enjoyed. The line was quite long throughout the morning but definitely slowed down around 1:30pm. As guests arrived, I introduced myself and shook their hand. I then asked them if they wanted to fill out a quick one-page survey (no one that came to my table declined). Usually I’d just ask the questions and fill it out for them. They survey was pretty straightforward but could definitely be streamlined. After the survey guests received a wristband and goodie bag and were on their way!

Once again I was reminded that the primary role of a volunteer at Homeless Connect is to be friendly and to listen, to ensure that all guests have a positive experience. A smile and a few minutes to chat really can make a big difference!

I saw some familiar faces at the event (such as Mayor Mandel helping to serve lunch), and met some new people too, such as Lynn (DandelionV on Twitter).

“I’m very impressed with this event. It’s wonderfully organized,” says first time volunteer Lynn Turnbull. “It’s so wonderful seeing each guest being treated with respect and dignity. I thoroughly enjoyed my day.”

Alex also volunteered and wrote about his experience here. You can also check out articles in The Journal and The Sun.

Another great event in the books! I’ll definitely be helping out at the next one. Stay tuned to Homeless Connect Edmonton on Twitter for updates. You can see the rest of my photos here.

Homeless Connect Edmonton 2

Edmonton’s second Homeless Connect event was held on Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre downtown. More than 1000 people attended to receive free services, such as haircuts, counseling, and immunizations, from more than 50 agencies. Though more people attended the first Homeless Connect back in October, everyone seemed happy with the turnout:

“We couldn’t be any more pleased with the day’s proceedings,” says Ione Challborn, Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association – Edmonton Region. “The volunteers were smiling. The guests were smiling. I’m certain we made a positive contribution to our guests’ lives today.”

Sharon, Chris, and I joined over 200 other volunteers at 8 AM to prepare for the day. The promised Volunteer Rally had to be cut short due to audio issues, but we still heard from Citytv’s Rob Hislop, Councillor Ben Henderson, MLA for Edmonton-McClung David Xiao, and Homeward Trust representatives (Ione Challborn, Cliff Higuchi, and Susan McGee). The “orientation” that followed was anything but – the large group loosely divided into four or five smaller ones, and figured out what to do from there. No one seemed to know what was going on, however! Organizers had a rough idea of how many volunteers were needed for each service/area, and everyone just volunteered as jobs were called out.

After the initial bit of mayhem, all the volunteers seemed to get into a groove, helping wherever necessary. Slowly but surely everyone learned where all of the services were located. Sharon spent most of her time at the registration desk, Chris chose to guide guests to their first stop, and I decided to help Shaw with the free Internet and phones. Most people were pleasantly surprised they could make long distance phone calls! Here are a couple other observations from my station:

The most commonly called person was Mom.
The first place most people went on the computer was Facebook.
Very few people needed technical help.

I guess I was surprised at the level of technical literacy I observed. The computers at local drop-ins and library locations must be used quite a bit! Actually that was another great thing I got to help with – handing out cards for free Internet at EPL locations, no library card required.

I think Homeless Connect is a great event, and I’m really glad I was able to help out. It makes so much sense to have a “one stop shop” for our city’s less fortunate, because it reduces barriers and greatly simplifies things for everyone involved. The event also goes a long way toward increasing awareness of homelessness, and helps to chip away at the negative perceptions attached to the issue. It was definitely a positive experience for me.

The next Homeless Connect here in Edmonton takes place on Sunday, October 4th. I’m already signed up to volunteer, and I’m sure many others are as well. You can learn more about volunteering here, and you can see the rest of my photos here.

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