Open Your Heart helps thousands through support of Project Homeless Connect.
Project Homeless Connect is a “one-stop shop” that connects thousands of people experiencing homelessness to a range of service providers all in one place.
On December 12, 2011, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis hosted the 12th Project Homeless Connect at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This event served nearly 2,000 individuals with the help of over 1,000 volunteers and 500 service providers.
Event organizers turned 160,000 square feet of convention space into a one-stop service delivery center, with services ranging from ID services, to haircuts, to dental care, to on-site individualized housing referrals. Each guest was partnered with a volunteer to identify what specific service need that person needed, and then the partners were encouraged to explore the variety of services available, meet with service providers, eat lunch, and share the day with each other.