Tag Archives: san francisco volunteer

If you become a San Francisco volunteer serving the homeless, you will learn some things about the human spirit that you may not have suspected were possible. The experience will open your eyes about the true plight of the San Francisco homeless. Thousands of others have already joined in the effort to assist the needy at SF Connect.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health created Project Homeless Connect in 2004 in order to provide vital services for the homeless community. However, staff members quickly realized that there were unique needs among the homeless community that demanded an innovative response from those who wished to help them. The economic recession that soon followed the opening of the project only worsened the difficulties with which they had already met while trying to serve people living in the streets. Soon, many more people were on the street. Some of them, thanks to the foreclosure crisis, were families who had no experience in trying to live without a permanent residence.
Around 1,000 community volunteers come together every two months, in cooperation with various agencies and entities in the private sector, to temporarily create a single location which provides health and human services for the San Francisco homeless. In a single day, the San Francisco volunteer community does what could take eight months to complete under other circumstances.
During this period, the community provides homeless clients with dental and vision care, HIV testing and treatment for various ailments and addictions. They also counsel them about legal matters, housing and job placement. With the influx of new members in the homeless community, the volunteers have modified and adapted services to meet the needs of families and veterans.
Project Homeless Connect staff hopes to continue bringing community members and the homeless together in this fashion. As economic crises come and go, project staff and volunteers continue to provide and adapt services to help those who are most needy. Government agencies, non-profit organizations and private sector companies also join in this effort.