EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - More than 60 service agencies gathered for Evansville’s annual Homeless Connect on Thursday, creating a one-day, one-stop-shop for people in need.
Rows of organizations offering employment and education opportunities, housing options, health care, child care, financial assistance and more lined The Old National Events Plaza (formerly The Centre) exhibition hall for people to peruse. But it was the Vectren booth that seemed to draw an unusually large crowd this year.
“With the bigger winter bills coming due, we’re seeing a lot more people this year,” Jared Wells, the supervisor for Vectren’s Low Income Programs, told the Evansville Courier & Press (https://bit.ly/1fMcxeW ). “The biggest thing we’re seeing is people wanting to set up payment arrangements.”
Vectren also offered a limited amount of assistance money for people in dire need, Wells added.
Anticipating the increased need for energy assistance this year, the Homeless Connect organizers placed the Vectren booth in a corner near other local charities that help with Vectren payments, such as the Pigeon Township Trustee, Outreach Ministries, and the Salvation Army. They were also crowded.
“I’m going to try to get my bill paid today,” said Evansville resident Shelley Stockes while standing in the line that stretched out from Vectren’s table. She held up a monthly bill for $304.
A mother of four, Stockes has been unable to find work for months, and in the meantime lives off a roughly $725 per month Social Security check. The rent for her trailer is $400 per month.
“Sometimes it’s like: Am I going to pay my rent or pay my utilities? I have to decide,” she said. “My highest bill this winter was $410. It always works out some way or another.”
Stockes was one of many residents to attend the Connect who was not homeless. Organizers say the event - which has steadily grown in popularity since it began six years ago, attracting hundreds of people seeking help - is useful for people both homeless and housed.
Every year, some of the most popular areas are the free haircuts, manicures and waxing from students at the Salon Professional Academy; free massages from the BodyWorks Massage Institute; and the foot care from ECHO Healthcare.
Some agencies offer on-site blood pressure and cholesterol screening and eye exams.
“Today (people in need) may be able to accomplish in one day what would normally take them weeks if they had to go to each individual agency,” said Luzada Hayes, executive director of Aurora, a homeless service organization. “Offices are all over town, and sometimes transportation is an issue. So they can really accomplish a lot here in one day.”
Evansville resident Ushanda Johnson would agree with that. She’s been patronizing the Homeless Connect since it began.
Five years ago, Johnson was homeless, seeking out organizations to help her find housing and income. Now, Johnson has a job at a day care and a place to live. So on Thursday, she came to make an appointment with a credit counselor to improve her credit score.
“They help you out with all sorts of things,” Johnson said, a big grin on her face. “I tell everybody, go to the Homeless Connect.”
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, https://www.courierpress.com
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