Every Day Connect, Daily Extension Of Program Project Homess Connect, Launches In San Francisco

San Francisco Takes A Historic Leap To Combat Homelessness
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 6: Robert Rey, a homeless man, pushes his belongings past San Francisco City Hall December 6, 2002 in San Francisco, California. San Francisco has attracted increasing numbers of homeless people in recent years. Official estimates tally homeless in the area to more than 12,000. Some people believe that the homeless are drawn to the area, in part, by welfare payments that are far too generous. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 6: Robert Rey, a homeless man, pushes his belongings past San Francisco City Hall December 6, 2002 in San Francisco, California. San Francisco has attracted increasing numbers of homeless people in recent years. Official estimates tally homeless in the area to more than 12,000. Some people believe that the homeless are drawn to the area, in part, by welfare payments that are far too generous. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

When San Francisco's Department of Public Health launched Project Homeless Connect in 2004, the idea was revolutionary.

The city holds regularly-scheduled events where a wide range of homeless services, ranging from HIV testing to employment counseling, are made available to the thousands of San Francisco residents living on the street.

Held five times a year at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium around the corner from San Francisco's City Hall, Project Homeless Connect has been widely hailed as a success and replicated in a host of cities around the county.

Now, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has taken the program a step further, announcing the creation of Every Day Connect. The service will serve as a permanent extension of Project Homeless Connect, this time on a daily basis.

"Homeless individuals experience challenges in life every day," said Lee in a statement. "Their problems don't fall into regular working hours. With Every Day Connect in place now, people who are homeless can request services any time by utilizing the toll-free helpline to seek assistance and get a chance to get connected with the help they need."

Whereas Project Homeless Connect brings together thousands of volunteers, Every Day Connect will utilize its five-person staff to provide services such as helping individuals secure clean clothes for a job interview to matching them with free dental care providers.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the expansion of Project Homeless Connect into a daily program has been over a year in the making.

For more information on Every Day Connect, check out Project Homeless Connect's website or call (855) 588-7968.

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