United Way Helps 550 Struggling In Harford County

From UW: Yesterday, United Way of Central Maryland helped 550 struggling individuals and families at the organization’s Project Homeless Connect in Harford County. In its third year, United Way gathered 59 local organizations and more than 500 community volunteers to ensure local community members received the vital services they needed, at Project Homeless Connect. At last year’s event, 450 individuals were helped by 200 volunteers in attendance.

Each of the volunteers at Tuesday’s Harford County Project Homeless Connect event were matched one-on-one with an adult or family, who helped guide them to the critical services they were in need of the most. Similar to last year, this year’s event featured an onsite dental clinic, thanks to Fallston Family Dentistry and many other private practices, who offered cleanings, fillings and extractions to 165 patients over the course of the day — up from last year’s total of 64.

In addition to the dental clinic, on-the-spot critical services — ranging from housing information, photo ID, birth certificates, employment programs, haircuts, legal services and more — were available at the event. There were 114 vision screenings completed and 107 eyeglasses prescribed to individuals during yesterday’s event.

“When individuals are United on a common goal, they can make a real, positive impact — and Project Homeless Connect is proof of that,” said Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland. “When you can see the relief and gratitude in someone’s eyes just from receiving a haircut or proper care for a bad tooth, it is humbling and also demonstrates the immeasurable positive impact this event can have on so many lives. We are so grateful for the dedication and thoughtfulness of our volunteers and service providers who gave their time and resources to help their local neighbors in need.”

Replicated in more than 300 cities, Project Homeless Connect is a resource fair that provides those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness on-the-spot services all in one place. This past fall, United Way hosted its sixth Project Homeless Connect in Baltimore City, which assisted 2,400 individuals and families in need of help. United Way of Central Maryland’s Project Homeless Connect in Harford County was made possible thanks to generous partnerships with the Harford County Government Harford Community College, as well as many other generous sponsors including APG Federal Credit Union Arena, APGFCU, Harford Mutual, Healthy Harford, Jones Junction, Jordan Thomas Salon & Spa, NVS Merle Norman Salon, Pats Pizza and Wells Fargo Advisors.

To learn more about this year’s Project Homeless Connect, please visit www.uwcm.org/phc

Main image via Shuttershock. Photos in article courtesy of United Way of Central Maryland.