Project Homeless Connect Omaha ("PHCO"), is a 501C(3) organization.

The first event launched on April 11, 2008 on the campus of Creighton University, hosted by Father John P. Schlegel, S.J. President of Creighton University.

100% of all donations to PHCO are used for the homeless.

Project Homeless Connect Omaha Organizing Committee

• Mike Saklar, Executive Director, Siena/Francis House
• Pastor Harry Wallar, Executive Director, MOHM's Place
• Cindy Goodin, Residential Services Director, Youth Emergency Services
• Rod Bauer, Day Services Director, Siena/Francis House
• Shelley K. Schrader, Catholic Charities, Senior Director for Community Services
• Pat Christopher, Homeless Clinic Coordinator, Charles Drew Health Center
• Joyce O'Neil, ServicePoint System Administrator
• Elizabeth Haley, Sr. Manager - Organizational Development & Learning, ConAgra Foods, Inc.
• Bailie Shada, Chief Administrative Officer, SilverStone Group, Inc.
• Joyce Davis Bunger, Assistant Dean Creighton University School of Nursing
• Ken Reed-Bouley, Creighton Center for Service and Justice, Creighton University
• Bob Denney, Facility Director, Creighton University
• Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County Commissioner
• Ed Shada, Executive Director, Project Homeless Connect Omaha
• Jessica Puente, Assistant to the Director, Xenon International Academy

Chairs of Project Homeless Connect Omaha

• 2008 Father John P Schlegel, S.J. President of Creighton University
• 2009 Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and Douglas County Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson

Demographics from Project Homeless Connect Omaha

	2008 (cold & snowy)	2009 (rainy but warm)
People Served:
Adult Males	223	315
Adult Females	91	111
Child	4	8
Of those served:
Caucasian	156	270
African-American	109	130
Asian	3	4
American Indian	11	18
Multi-racial	17	3
Did not specify	19	3
Military veterans	47	52
Ages of those served:
31-50	Approximately 50%	56%
18 to 30	26%	12%
51 to 61	17%	25%
62 or older	2.0%	4.0%
Of those attending:
Disabling condition	37%	n/a
Homeless due to a loss of job, domestic abuse, told to leave, or underemployed	39%	n/a
Extent of Homelessness:
1st Time Homeless	20.5%	18.8%
2nd/3rd Time Homeless	29%	33.1%
More than 4 times homeless in last 3 yrs.	11.4%	15%
More than 1 yr	9.5%	16%
Returned from 2008	n/a	49
Education/Adult:
9th grade or less	n/a	9.5%
Some High School	n/a	16.5%
HS Diploma	n/a	23.9%
GED	n/a	17.3%
Some College	n/a	17.3%
College Degree	n/a	2.1%
Graduate Degree	n/a	2.6%
Technical Training	n/a	4.3%
No Response	n/a	6.6%
Haircuts:
Given	200+	435

 

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Demographics from Project Homeless Connect Omaha

Shelters:
Provided shelter information:	60+	80+
Housing Information:
Received housing info:	158	173
Housed immediately	13	11
Counseling	28	28
Total housed from PHCO	50	30+ to date
Medical/Healthcare/Dental:
Received services	187	355
Directed to follow-up	158	278
Received follow-up	78%	42% to date
Dental Exam	123	n/a
Critical Dental needs	68	63
Received Dentures	42	Funding Available for 30
Glaucoma referral	81	32
Hepatitis A & B vaccines	78	12
Tetanus Diphtheria shots	36	6
HIV/AIDS Tests	63 & 0 positive	40 & 0 positive
Tuberculosis Screening	67 & 0 positive	16 & 0 positive
STDs	57	21
Pregnancy	12	6
Legal:
Received IDs	128	24
Omaha/CB Court dismissed	23	32

 

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2008 Summary

Employment 2008:

• 306 clients visited various employers' tables.
• One employer noted they spoke to several clients who would be "a positive addition to our workforce," but the biggest challenge is transportation.

Social Services 2008

• More than 100 clients visited the Social Security and Disability agency tables; 50 completed applications for Social Security, Disability and/or state ID cards.
• 70 people stopped by the Dept. of Health and Human Services booth, and 48 completed applications for food stamps [NOTE: The DHHS indicated that because of this event, they will consider visiting local shelters to offer services.]

Other:

• Service providers learned about other service providers and began referring clients to one another
• Service providers discovered the need to go to the shelters instead of waiting for the homeless to come to them
• Volunteers called the event things like 'powerful', 'life changing', and 'better understanding of homelessness and its causes'
• 20 new veterans met with VA staff
• Each member of 4 families received laminated family pictures
• A 9 year old girl discovered how to peel an orange
• Many people called home on the phones provided by Bellevue University that day, many had not spoken with parents and siblings, there were a lot of tears shed