S ERVICE P ROJECT MAAACE Members: Aaron Randi, Amanda Chomen, Amy Howard, Clifton McSwain, Ebony Gaines, Michelle Comendul

W HY DID WE CHOOSE THIS PROBLEM ?

H OMELESSNESS IN C ONNECTICUT 4,451 homeless people in CT 661 homeless in New Haven area (15% of CT’s homeless are in the New Haven area)

3 C ONTRIBUTING F ACTORS T O H OMELESSNESS I. Inadequate Income II. Unemployment III. High Cost Of Living

H OMELESSNESS IN C ONNECTICUT Poverty- families’ income compared to family size (O’Neil, 2008) Single person – under $10,000 Family (two children) – under $20,000 8% of CT population are living under the federal poverty level 10% of all children living in CT fall under the umbrella of poverty

C ONTRIBUTING F ACTORS TO H OMELESSNESS Cost of Living in Connecticut in 2009 was the 5 th highest in the United States (CCEH 2011). 74% of families reported rent problems or eviction as their reason for leaving their previous homes (CCEH 2011). Housing Cost Burdened- families or individuals that are forced to spend over 50% of their income on housing (CCEH 2011). Even short periods of unemployment can leave these housing-cost- burdened individuals and families homeless

C ONTRIBUTING F ACTORS S UMMARY Three Main Factors: Inadequate Income Unemployment High Cost of Living Secondary Factors: Interpersonal Violence Disabling Health Conditions Re-entry from Criminal Justice System

O RGANIZATIONS OFFERING SOLUTIONS The Youth Continuum Protects and promotes the well-being of at-risk youth Provides skills necessary to take advantage of opportunities for a healthy and productive future (Youth Continuum n.d.) The Columbus House Willing to help everyone, from people with severe mental illnesses or addiction problems to people getting out of prison (Columbus House, n.d.) New Haven Home Recovery (NHHR) Promotes the independence of women and children confronted with homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and behavioral health issues (New Haven Home Recovery, 2008) Life Haven program Provides a safe and nurturing environment for homeless pregnant women and women with young children Can serve up to 20 families at one time (Life Haven, 2012) The Christ Church of New Haven Community Soup Kitchen St. Andrews Food Pantry Midnight Run

C HOOSING A N O RGANIZATION The Christ Church of New Haven Midnight Run Help pass out food and clothing Previous experience See first hand who was getting what Able to see impact of our efforts immediately Continuous program Go back and donate more clothes

O UR P LAN OF A CTION : M ONDAY, A PRIL 2 ND 7:30 p.m. Church of Christ 8:00 p.m. New Haven Green 8:45 p.m. Men’s Shelter 9:15 p.m. Back at Christ Church

S ERVICE PROJECT VIDEO

H OW SUCCESSFUL WAS OUR GROUP IN PRODUCING CHANGE ?

A LTHOUGH IT ’ D BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CONQUER WORLD HUNGER OVERNIGHT, WE … Helped relieve the hungry by serving bagged meals at multiple stations Distributed clothing and toiletries

S PECIAL THANKS TO MAAACE Those receiving food and clothing were very grateful The director of the Midnight Run program was very thankful and welcomed us back any time

W E DIDN ’ T STOP THERE ! We served about 100 people during the Midnight Run Program MAAACE also followed up with the program and donated more clothing

W HAT DID MAAACE GAIN ? A sense of appreciation It felt like we were making a difference

W HAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY ? Make earlier arrangements in order for us to bring more clothing or anything that the church thought was acceptable for the Midnight Run.

R EFERENCE LIST Christ Church New Haven. (n.d.). Retrieved from Columbus House. (n.d.). Columbus House. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH). (February 2011). Portraits of Homelessness in Connecticut. Retrieved from: Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH). (2011). Connecticut point in time count: Regional breakdown of the homeless population. Retrieved from: _Regional_Breakdown_of_the_Homeless_Population.pdf _Regional_Breakdown_of_the_Homeless_Population.pdf Liberty Community Services - Home. (n.d.). Liberty Community Services - Home. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from Life Haven, Temporary Shelter for Homeless Pregnant Women and Children. (2012). Welcome to Life Haven. Retrieved March 11, 2012 from: New Haven Home Recovery. (2008). Who We Are. Retrieved March 11, 2012 from: O'Neil, R. F. Office of Legislative Research, (2008). Poverty, homelessness, and children (Report Number 2008-R-0384). Retrieved from website: Youth Continuum. (n.d.). Our Mission. Retrieved March 10, 2012 from: