Homeless Connect event a success in ninth year

The one-day event held at the Greater Gulf Fairgrounds on Friday morning allowed for Mobile’s homeless community to try and get back on their feet through the help of local businesses, organizations and officials.

The event — now in its ninth year of existence — was organized by Housing First CEO Derek Boulware.

Finally able to witness the work being done firsthand, Free now believes the event shouldn’t just be limited to Mobile but instead should be something every city strives to do.

“Every city should do an event like this because it’s a one-stop shop where if you have any needs, you can come here, and Derek Boulware and his team can do an assessment to see what needs they have,” Free said. “And hopefully, events like this serve as the first step towards getting them to the point where they are no longer homeless.”

Free serves as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) director for Alabama and Tennessee.

According to Free, since 2020, the nationwide number of people classified as homeless has risen by 3 percent, while statewide numbers tend to fluctuate.

“Based on the annual count, our numbers have gone down just slightly but what has gone up is the number of chronically homeless, which means you’ve been on the street for a year or more,” Free said. “On average here in Alabama, it’s always like a rollercoaster. Here in Mobile, they might be down 3 percent, while in Montgomery they may be up three percent. But overall, we maintain around the same status each year.”

Free did note due to emergency rental assistance money drying up, more people will be put on the streets as a result, so numbers could be on the rise in the near future.

In order to be considered homeless by HUD, a person must be living outside, living out of a vehicle, fleeing domestic violence, or be within two weeks of eviction.

More than 50 businesses and organizations partnered up with the event to provide services for those deemed homeless. Those services ranged from barbering, healthcare, legal and dental services. Participants were also able to pick up clothing, shoes, food and medicine.

According to Boulware, one problem often faced by those dealing with homelessness is the issue of losing their IDs. He said oftentimes, people who are homeless will lose their wallets, purses or bags with their ID in them and then are not able to apply for jobs, apartments and other things where an ID is needed.

Judges and lawyers also volunteered their time to participate in the event to help those with legal problems such as misdemeanors and warrants, which could prevent them from getting their state-issued IDs. Once those problems were addressed, participants were then able to obtain a new ID on-site.

Boulware said in 2022, almost 70 cases were heard and dealt with during the event.

The University of South Alabama (USA) provided the entire medical component for the event.

Since the event began, Boulware said the number of participants and volunteers has increased year over year. The event was even held in the midst of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, albeit in an amended form.

While he didn’t have a firm idea as to how many from the homeless community would attend this year’s gathering — as last year’s event had just over 270 participants — Boulware was hopeful he would again see an increase in the number of participants.

“The weather is good, so we’re hoping for a higher turnout today than we had last year,” Boulware said. “We were able to get the word out through various media outlets and WAVE Transit is bringing in people from all over the city and then taking them back afterward so we’re hoping to have a great turnout.”

As of 8:30 a.m., over 100 people had already been counted through the intake process and were receiving help, according to officials.

Participants were asked to fill out a form with their information so that their areas of need could be addressed. Then, a student volunteer with the USA would lead the participant where they needed to go.

“We did a coordinated entry, which is a HUD program, so we can better serve the needs of the community and find those who have the greatest need and get them the help they need,” Boulware said. “This allows for people to get medical, legal or whatever other kind of assistance they need and now they know who to call to get assistance from now on.”

USA physical therapy student Claire Willingham worked as one of the students helping those in need find the right services, whether it be food, clothing, medical assistance or legal help.

To be able to give back to the community that oftentimes gets overlooked is an opportunity she believes will stick with her throughout her career.

“I feel like a lot of people see homeless people as a nuisance and aren’t willing to actually do something to help their situation,” Willingham said. “So as future healthcare providers, it’s nice to have the opportunity to help those that are homeless and make sure they get the quality care they need and help understand how we can help them moving forward.”