Cape Girardeau to host 2012 Homeless Event in October | Events

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - The Governor's Committee to End Homelessness (GCEH) selects Cape Girardeau as the host city for its 2012 Project Homeless Connect Event to be held on Friday, October 5, 2012.

The event is designed to serve the homeless population of Cape Girardeau City and County.

Project Homeless Connect is a one-day, one-stop event that connects individuals and families experiencing homelessness with on-site medical care and a variety of social services.

The Project Homeless Connect bus service will include the following stops:

• 937 Broadway (transit) - Pick-up is at the top of every hour throughout the day starting at 9 a.m.
• Sav-A-Lot - Leaves five minutes after every hour
• Red Star Baptist Church and Main Street - Leaves 15 minutes after every hour
• Cape Meadows and East Cape Rock Drive - Leaves 25 minutes after every hour
• Boxwood and Sycamore - Leaves 45 minutes after every hour
• Osage Community Center - Leaves 55 minutes after every hour

Organizers say the last bus will leave the Osage Community Center at 2:55 p.m.

The GCEH has hosted three previous Project Homeless Connect events in Missouri: the 2009 event took place in Columbia, the 2010 event was held in Branson, and Sedalia hosted the 2011 event.  At each event, numerous same-day services were delivered to homeless individuals and families, including access to shelter/housing, food and clothing, donations, legal assistance, child care assistance, employment resources, haircuts, birth certificates, identification cards, medical check-ups, mental health screening, substance abuse screening, and credit counseling.

Project Homeless Connect Co-Chair Jenni Miller says, "The Governor's Committee to End Homelessness selected Cape Girardeau for a variety of reasons.  Cape Girardeau County has reported high Point-in-Time Count numbers of homeless individuals and families, which is a one-day count of the homeless population throughout the state.  In addition to those results, we chose this area because of existing collaboration among providers and requests for technical assistance."

Natalie Sandoval, of Community Caring Council, will serve as the Cape Girardeau local Community Coordinating Chair for the 2012 event.

For more information about the Cape Girardeau Project Homeless Connect event, please visit www.phccapegirardeau.org.

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