Midlands Voices: Project Homeless Connect making positive difference

The writer is president of Creighton University.

For the past two years, Project Homeless Connect Omaha, a one-day event held on the Creighton University campus, has served more than 800 homeless individuals in our community who endure the hardship of life on the streets.

Buses pick up homeless individuals living in shelters and parks and bring them to the Kiewit Fitness Center on Creighton’s campus. Each guest is teamed with one of hundreds of volunteers to navigate booths designated for housing, employment, health care and social services.

Project Homeless Connect Omaha provides our brothers and sisters living on the streets access to much-needed services in one location in one day.

While Creighton has been noted recently for joining the worldwide relief efforts in Haiti, bringing medical care to the victims of the earthquake, Project Homeless Connect Omaha is a visible manifestation of our ongoing commitment to those in need locally.

The numbers from this event tell an encouraging story:

— Some 330 individuals have been provided housing information, and 80 have moved into housing.

— More than 100 have received new dentures and a new smile.

— Some 540 have received some form of health care-related service, with 80 percent receiving follow-up treatment.

— More than 1,000 volunteers have learned about homelessness in Omaha and, undoubtedly, have shared those experiences with others.

We survey our volunteers and have found that for many, the day is an eye-opening, life-changing experience. This is the desired outcome we are seeking for our students and communities when we promote a service such as Project Homeless Connect Omaha.

Hosting this community-wide event fits with Creighton’s commitment to the city of Omaha and our Jesuit mission of service to others. Our students, alumni, faculty and staff are actively engaged in the community and are dedicated to its betterment — whether assisting the homeless, providing health care or professional services or volunteering with local agencies.

Offices such as our Creighton Center for Service and Justice encourage students to participate in community service, to reflect on their experiences and to act to seek a more just world. Suffice it to say, service is an integral part of our Jesuit, Catholic education.

Project Homeless Connect Omaha has surpassed our expectations. It has raised awareness of homelessness in our community, and it has encouraged other communities. (Lincoln, for example, is holding a similar event.)

It has led to new programs and involvement by our citizens, such as Project Kids, which was launched this Christmas with more than 200 volunteers. The event, held at the Civic Auditorium, brought holiday cheer to 163 children — with presents, a visit from Santa, cookies and hot chocolate, along with donated coats, hats, gloves and other clothing.

Project Homeless Connect Omaha, while supported by the Creighton community, is not a “Creighton-only” event. The nursing programs of Metropolitan Community College, Iowa Western Community College and Nebraska Wesleyan University help provide health care. Bellevue University provides the Web site and the executive director of the event. The City of Omaha, Douglas County and the State of Nebraska provide medical tests and vaccinations.

Xenon International Academy has provided more than 600 haircuts. Subway, Sodexo, Godfather’s and retail meat dealers provide food on the day of the event. Corporate support comes from a number of sources, including Fred Simon, Gail Werner-Robertson, the Iowa West Foundation, Pinnacle Bank, the Omaha Downtown Improvement District, Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska, the United Way and Zaiss & Co.

This far-reaching event has grown and developed like the well-managed and successful start-up we envisioned. It is an Omaha event and is now recognized as one of the top homeless events in the country. It is something in which our community can take great pride.

However, this year is already proving to be difficult for many of our homeless neighbors and service providers. There is a serious lack of housing; in fact, there are waiting lists for housing with the city, county and at our shelters. Because there are so many newly homeless, we are reaching criticality in our ability to serve everyone living on the streets.

Therefore, I am reaching out to the rest of our colleagues in the area to join us this year on March 26 in supporting and providing the assistance necessary to take this event beyond all of our expectations in providing care to our homeless neighbors.

To get involved, please visit the Project Homeless Connect Omaha Web site, www.homelessconnectomaha.org. Together, we can make a positive difference in our community.

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