While many of us have protection from the elements, from icy conditions to searing heat in the summer, the homeless do not. UPO helps the DC homeless in several ways throughout the year. The UPO Shelter Hotline vans transported 187,323 people to shelter last year. Comfort items are provided daily for the homeless people we assist, from feminine items to care packages, water, food trays and protective clothing. Last year 98,375 comfort items were distributed.
COVID-19 has severely impacted the lives of DC's homeless population. Shelter Hotline provides on-demand transportation to available shelter, with operators screening clients prior to each transport. Special transportation requests include transport of vulnerable clients from shelter to medical appointments and from quarantine to shelter after testing negative. Daily street outreach efforts include wellness checks, distributing meals, beverages, comfort and protective items and safety education.
Harsh conditions can inconvenience your day, but imagine if you had no choice but to live in it? A pair of long johns and a warm blanket can bring relief on a frigid day; a simple meal can help a person deal with already harsh realities; proper feminine items can bring immeasurable comfort to homeless women. The pandemic is expected to spark an increase in homelessness in DC. With your generous support we can reach our goal of raising $50,000 for comfort items for our homeless DC neighbors.
UPO's mission is Uniting People with Opportunities. We provide services for the DC homeless through our programs. The Office of Early Learning provides their children with free education and family support. Workforce Institute provides free job training and job placement support. Affordable Housing Division provides high quality affordable rental homes. As we help the homeless to self-sufficiency, we believe that they deserve the decency of basic comforts we take for granted.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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