COMMON GROUND COMMUNITY, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE LEAD NEW YORKERS IN LAUNCHING THE CITY’S FIRST PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT

Initiative Brings Together Vital Social, Legal and Medical Services In Effort to End Chronic Homelessness

NEW YORK, NY- More than two hundred volunteers took part in New York’s first Project Homeless Connect, a street outreach effort designed to end chronic homelessness that was held at The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in the Times Square neighborhood. 

Modeled after San Francisco’s successful initiative, Common Ground Community and the Times Square Alliance brought together city agencies, housing specialists, service providers, and scores of volunteers for a one-day mobilization to help Times Square's long-term homeless connect with   housing, medical care, and social services.

Beginning at 8 a.m., Project Homeless Connect volunteers assisted clients with medical screening and testing, benefits counseling and securing housing.  Common Ground estimates that throughout the day, volunteers provided 124 chronically homeless individuals with vital services. 

Common Ground staff members had participated in San Francisco’s Fourth Project Homeless Connect, and felt that New York’s Times Square neighborhood, which has historically had a large chronically homeless population, was an important place to launch this new initiative. 

“In its efforts to solve homelessness, Common Ground is continually working to increase the stock of permanent supportive housing, while strengthening our outreach efforts to individuals living on the streets,” said Common Ground president and founder Rosanne Haggerty.  “Project Homeless Connect serves as another important vehicle in bringing valuable resources and information to long-term homeless individuals in one centralized location.”  

San Francisco’s Homeless Connect VI in August served 1,133 individuals, a record number since the initiative launched in October 2004.  Designated as a “best practice” by Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a national Project Homeless Connect Day will take place on December 8, 2005. 

In addition to receiving a wide array of legal, medical, mental health, substance abuse and social services from qualified volunteers, individuals also received food, hygiene kits and clothing.   Donating organizations and corporations included Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center; Star-Rite, Inc.; 85 Broads and the Dober Group.

“Despite its frenetic nature, with tens of thousands of visitors passing through the neighborhood each and every day, Times Square is, at its core, a neighborhood,” said Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins.  “It is important that we don't let the neon blind us from the human element, and the attention that must be paid to those that have been left behind in the current boom.”

“We are thankful for the many individuals who donated their time and resources to this incredible effort” said Haggerty.   “The generous community response to the needs of our neighbors has been tremendously inspiring.” 

Established in 1990 as a not-for-profit organization, Common Ground’s mission is to solve homelessness through innovative programs that transform people, buildings and communities.  As property developers and managers, Common Ground provides supportive housing to over 1,700 individuals, 3,000 housing units in the next ten years.  Common Ground focuses on the chronically homeless and those most at-risk of becoming homeless, including youth aging out of foster care and military veterans. Since 1992, The Times Square Alliance has worked to improve and promote the Times Square neighborhood to New York residents and visitors alike.  In addition to providing neighborhood safety and sanitation services, the Alliance promotes local businesses; encourages economic development and public improvements; co-coordinates numerous major events in Times Square; manages the Times Square Information Center; and advocates on behalf of its constituents on public policy, planning and quality-of-life issues.   

For more information on Project Homeless Connect and Common Ground, please contact Kelly Castagnaro at (212) 471- 0815. 

For more information on the Times Square Alliance, please contact David Billotti at (212)-452-5213.