Knoxville was one of 20 cities across the country taking part in Project
Homeless Connect on Dec. 8 by hosting a one-day event to link homeless
individuals and families with the resources needed to help them move
toward housing and self-sufficiency.
 Volunteers
from more than a dozen local government agencies, social services
providers, and faith-based organizations will offer medical, dental
and vision care services as well as mental health counseling, legal
assistance, help with various benefits programs, information and referral
for housing, haircuts and much more.
Information about homeless individuals will also be entered into a
database, with the goal of assigning each a caseworker to ensure their
needs are being met and services are not duplicated.
Project Homeless Connect evolved from the Knoxville/Knox County
Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, which calls for efforts
by the whole community to solve the problem.
The chronically homeless is defined as individuals who have been
repeatedly homeless or homeless for longer than a year. Although
they represent only 10 percent of the homeless population, they
utilize about 50 percent of the resources.
Project Homeless Connect was sponsored by the City of Knoxville,
Knox County and the East Tennessee Coalition for the Homeless.
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