Merced event to connect homeless to services
Providing vital services and opportunities to people who are homeless in Merced County is the aim of this week’s Homeless Connect, according to organizers.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the American Legion Hall, 939 W. Main St. in Merced.
People who are homeless can get help with housing, Social Security benefits, clothes or a number of other services – even a shower and haircut.
Phil Schmauss, director of marketing for the Merced County Rescue Mission, said the event is an easy way for people who live on the street to find out what services are available and how to get help.
“The longer you stay on the streets, the more you become detached from family and friends,” he said.
The longer you stay on the streets, the more you become detached from family and friends
Phil Schmauss
director of marketing for the Merced County Rescue MissionA number of nonprofits, businesses, public agencies and homeless advocates from the Merced County Continuum of Care will take part in the day, he said.
The last Connect in Merced drew about 300 people seeking help, according to the Sun-Star. Similar events have been held in Los Banos for those who are homeless on the west side of the county.
Schmauss said organizers are prepared to feed as many as 400 people in case the turnout is greater than last year. He also said Connect received donations of $1,500 each from the California Endowment and the Community Foundation of Merced County.
Any money left over after the day will be rolled into next year’s budget, he said.
Los Angeles-based nonprofit Hope Mill Inc. is prepared to hand out 300 backpacks filled with clothes, water bottles, nonperishable food and personal-care items. Other organizations donated items as well.
The number of people tallied during a Merced County homeless count was 899, 17 percent higher than it was the same time last year, Continuum of Care reported in February.
Volunteers with Continuum counted the 876 adults and 23 children throughout the county last month, compared with last year’s 768. The number of homeless in the city of Merced was also greater at 592, compared with 476 last year.
For more on Homeless Connect, visit www.mercedcoc.com.
IF YOU GO
Homeless Connect
When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: American Legion Hall, 939 W. Main St.
This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Merced event to connect homeless to services."