What A Beautiful Sight? – Atlanta Homeless Connect

That is the sight of several hundred homeless men and women getting connected to resources in Atlanta.

Some time ago a few people from the United Way and the Living Room got together and began talking about bringing a national initiative called Project Homeless Connect to Atlanta. I had the pleasure of attending the initial meeting where this concept was pitched to a group of Atlanta leaders. During the meeting it was decided that we would go forward with bringing this event to Atlanta and thus Atlanta Homeless Connect (AHC) was born.

After several months of hard work from so many, yesterday was the event. It was awesome. Over forty-five different organizations that serve the homeless and poor came together to offer their services on one day. There were housing options, work programs, drug rehab programs, legal aid, HIV/ AIDS testing, mobile medical units, haircuts, phone home stations, and so much more. People came from all over the city to connect with these resources.

Before the event started I was called outside to help keep the line under control because people kept cutting the line. My job then morphed into being in charge of the door and keeping the line calm. I loved this assignment because I got to greet everyone as they came in the event. I got to just hang out and love on these beautiful people.

As people entered through the door, I would ask them why they attended today. Some would say they came to try and get a job or find housing. Others just came for the free lunch and to see what was going on. No matter why the 700+ people came each person was impacted in some why by attending. The overall impact of this day will only be measured in time.

More than 300 volunteers came together to help make the event possible. Thank you to everyone who put their love in action and helped make AHC a reality.