The second annual Homeless Connect help nearly 1,000 people yesterday. It was amazing to see the number of people who volunteered. Congratulations to everyone who participated.
Homeless get help with free services
Dental, haircuts, housing and transportation aid offered
By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: Apr 28, 2009
The homeless don’t often find comfort and hospitality living on the streets, medical services are almost unheard of because of lack of insurance, and not knowing what types of assistance are available can hold people back.
Project Homeless Connect sought to change that today. The communitywide effort, in its second year, brings service providers to one location for the homeless or those on the verge of homelessness.
”It’s a day of hospitality,” said Wendy Cross, chairwoman of the Akron/Summit County Continuum of Care. ”We’re not here to tell them what they need, but we’re here for them to tell us what they need and to see that those things happen.”
The cities of Akron and Barberton, Summit County and the Akron/Summit County Continuum of Care sponsored a day at The Chapel on Fir Hill in Akron for those in the community facing hard times. More than 600 volunteers, including several from 50 participating agencies, helped nearly 1,000 people with everything from haircuts and dental care to housing and transportation assistance.
”The people here made me feel like I mattered. No one was looking down on me,” said Judy Mottley, 52, who has been homeless since October. ”Being homeless is humiliating and emotionally confusing. I don’t want to be homeless. I don’t want to have to ask for help.”
Mottley, who said she was a victim of domestic violence and survived a suicide attempt, said she is stuck in the middle of the system. She is too young for senior housing assistance and doesn’t have young children to qualify her for housing.
”I’m single and all alone. I have no place to go. I don’t fit into any specific category.”
Jimmy Cochran, 51, said it’s embarrassing when you try to seek help and fill out applications and have no address to put down. ”People forget we had homes and family and grandkids too, but fell on hard times. I have had a stroke and have diabetes and cataracts, but no insurance,” he said.
Cochran took all the free medical tests. He said what he appreciated the most was that it wasn’t crowded, there was quality time spent at each station he went to and everything was available in one location.
”I didn’t have to worry about catching a lot of buses to get from one place to another,” he said. ”The chaperones made it easy. If I needed anything, they took me where I needed to go.”
Free legal services and on-site showers were available. ”It’s difficult to find a place to clean up if you’re homeless, and there are only specific hours available to shower at some shelters,” said Don Freeman, 50, who was homeless for a year until three weeks ago.
Through the Access recovery program, he and two others share housing. Freeman also got a haircut, his first in three months. After his hair and long beard were trimmed, he said he looked and felt like a different person.
”It was a big fur ball hanging on my cheek,” Freeman said. Toni Stylz, 37, the salon owner of Beauty Inc. on West Exchange Street, was one of 28 hair stylists who volunteered for the day. ”When they asked me, I said, ‘I’m there.’ Nine years ago, I was homeless myself. It’s something you just never forget, so of course I knew I had to be here,” she said.
New clothing, 10-pound boxes of food, bus passes and personal care products were distributed. By 12:30 p.m. Project Homeless Connect had run out of men’s clothing and clothing vouchers. There were 250 vouchers available worth $7,500.
One of the first services to fill up was dental checks. Dr. Azam Qadri, a general dentist in Hudson, said he extracted 22 teeth — 12 from one patient and 10 from another.
”Sometimes teeth can make a difference,” Qadri said. ”We had one guy come in last year and say, ‘I want you to fix my smile.’ We did, and now he has a decent job and says it’s because he’s able to smile.”
Many people left this year’s event all smiles. ”I was empowered by the information I received and the kindness and generosity of the people offering the services,” Mottley said. ”Next year, I hope to be here volunteering and showing pictures of my new house.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.
LISTEN to Merlitti discuss South Main project
Tina Merlitti City of Akron Council Vice President, Ward 7 Council Member 