This summer Security Director Michael Barribeau will be leading teams of volunteers to help do street outreach to unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. The program is an opportunity to have volunteers engage in street outreach and to help be a solution to street homelessness. The group will meet and prepare for the evening. We will go out and meet individuals who are homeless and living on the street. We will provide individuals with some of the basic needs, food, water, warming items, etc.
The group will also be building rapport with individuals. Building rapport is the most essential part of street outreach. Once you build rapport with a homeless individual, you can then start to connect them to resources. The goal of this program would be different for each individual. For one, it could be getting into shelter. For another, it could be applying for jobs or getting a mental health assessment and receiving meds for their untreated mental illness. The group would meet and go out once or twice a month.
If you are interested in being part of this outreach team, please connect with Michael at mbarribeau@sjehs.org.
The goal of this street outreach program is to build rapport and trust and encourage individuals to engage in programing and get connected to area resources. If the outreach team can get an individual to go to the Micah Center for something as small as getting a lunch, that could eventually lead to that individual getting into shelter – getting off the streets and out of that unsafe environment.
We hope you’ll join us!
