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. With a rise in DC homeless, the UPO Shelter Hotline vans transported 186,416 people to shelter last year. Help us raise money for comfort items for the homeless people we assist, from feminine items to care packages, water, food trays and protective clothing.
Homelessness dropped by 10% last year in Washington, DC. According a 2017 Point-in-Time Count of Homeless Persons in DC (see PDF below) there were 7,473 homeless people in DC on a single night compared to a 2016 Count of 8,350. However DC had the highest rate of homelessness of any U.S. metropolitan area in 2016 with 124 out of every 10,000 residents experiencing homelessness, according to a Dec.14, 2016 report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
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 funds raised will go directly to purchasing these items for thousands of homeless people we help. With your generous support we can reach our goal of raising $20,000 for comfort items.
UPO's mission is Uniting People with Opportunities. As the designated community action agency for DC, UPO serves DC homeless through our programs. The Office of Early Learning provides children of homeless families with free education and family support. Adult Education & Training, Building Careers Academy and Workforce Development provide free job training. As we help the homeless to self-sufficiency, we believe that they deserve the decency of basic comfort items that we can take for granted.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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