What is Project Homeless Connect Rochester (PHCR)?
Project Homeless Connect Rochester is an initiative that has been making a difference for 10 years. It is modeled after PHC San Francisco. It is a one day event that takes place every year. Service providers from the greater Rochester area gather together to provide necessary services for the homeless and those who are great risk. Their goal is to create lasting solutions for the homeless and raise awareness about the Rochester homeless population.
When was Project Homeless Connect started?
Project Homeless Connect Rochester (PHCR) began in 2009 as a volunteer-driven event dedicated to connecting homeless individuals and families to housing and other critical resources. Today, PHCR continues to be organized and implemented by a team of diverse volunteers.
Who are the typical guests of the PHCR event?
PHCR guests roughly reflect nationwide homelessness figures. Women and men are equally represented. Age varies widely. PHCR guests include teenagers and the elderly; middle-aged adults are most heavily represented. Approximately one in ten PHCR guests is a veteran. Guests, varying in ethnic/racial background with African Americans slightly over-represented, report their primary reasons for attending PCHR are concrete: to obtain identification and other resources such as winter clothing and food along with linkages to other needed services such as housing and employment resources. As guests leave PCHR, they report high levels of satisfaction with PCHR volunteers and the spirit of the PHCR event as a whole.
What do the volunteers say?
Almost all Project Homeless Connect volunteers (97%) say they would volunteer at Project Homeless Connect again.