- Organizing Sponsors
- Participating Sponsors
Denver is home to more than 3,900 homeless men, women and children, and the city spends more than $70 million annually on shelter, healthcare and other stop-gap services. Many are members of families with children and many who are homeless for the first time may not be aware of the network of local services available to them. Project Homeless Connect serves as a comprehensive resource for helping the homeless find jobs, and acts as the entry point for other critical services.
For the University of Denver, PHC ushers in an ongoing partnership between the University and the City & County of Denver. The idea to form additional partnerships with the city was the result of the Provost’s conference at DU in 2006, an annual event hosted in the fall by DU Provost Gregg Kvistad. Themed “The University of Denver and the City, ” the conference was intended to identify and work toward the resolution of the Denver most pressing issues, including education, public safety, homelessness and economic development. Since the conference, University officials have been exploring ways to more formally join research efforts and service efforts with the city’s agenda.
“Project Homeless Connect is a good first-step toward creating a lasting partnership that will provide better learning opportunities, practical research and solution-building the community,” said Kvistad. “This event also will provide an opportunity for our students to get involved in creating real solutions to the homeless problem in Denver.”
DU’s role
More than 1000 University of Denver students, staff members, faculty and community members are needed to work one-on-one with homeless individuals and families to help In the process of moving them toward self-sufficiency. The DU community is volunteering their time and resources as part of the annual DU Volunteer Days, the largest single-day volunteer effort at the university.
Thanks to the help of the Chancellor’s and Provost’s Office at the University of Denver, this event gives the DU community a chance to come together in service for ONE DU VOLUNTEER DAY.