Homeless people from across the Triangle got help Thursday as part of Project Homeless Connect. The project gives people who are struggling the chance to connect with some much needed services.
DURHAM -- Homeless people from across the Triangle got help Thursday as part of Project Homeless Connect. The project gives people who are struggling the chance to connect with some much needed services.
Volunteers such as Elizabeth DeBragga are making it happen. Normally on Thursdays, DeBragga is hard at work as an accountant. This week she was among the dozens of volunteers across the Triangle who helped out with Project Homeless Connect.
"I mean, who can resist the opportunity to get out and talk to people?" DeBragga asked, smiling.
But the project is much more that that. It lets homeless people get in touch with services they may need, all in one place.
Volunteer Elizabeth DeBragga helps a homeless man.
"I feel that people are getting help, that they are accessing the services they need, that we're keeping them from having to go all across town and search out services,” said Edy Thompson, who helped organize Project Homeless Connect in Durham. “We've brought everything here."
That includes everything from medical care to employment counseling.
“It brings everybody together in one place to create a trajectory out of homelessness,” said Philip Mangano, who works on Project Homeless Connect at the national level.
According to the Triangle United Way, which helps sponsor the project locally, there are more than 1,800 homeless people in Wake, Orange, and Durham counties. The goal is to reduce that number to zero in 10 years as part of a 10-year plan to end homelessness. Wake, Orange, and Durham counties all have such a plan.
DeBragga says she will definitely be back in the future to help wipe out homelessness in Durham.
“I feel awesome. I’m just really energized about the opportunities to connect with other people," she explained.
Project Homeless Connect includes the Triangle and more than 300 other communities from across the country.