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“The economy has been hitting people hard,” said Susan Zaborowski, social service manager for Danbury’s Health and Human Services Department. “People are having difficulties. People are losing their jobs, entering the workforce in different modes and just not knowing what aid they qualify for.”
The event is sponsored by the Greater Danbury Continuum of Care and the City of Danbury’s Housing Partnership.
Project Homeless Connect features more than 65 agencies and services, including free haircuts, dental advice, eye and foot care, food stamp applications and information, winter clothing, and breakfast, said Zaborowski. All attendees will also leave with a care package filled with bus passes, toiletries and snacks.
Given the state of the economy, Zaborowski said she expects a variety of people, ranging from the homeless to the financially struggling to attend the event. She urges anyone looking for information about social services to attend.
The event was first held six years ago to address the need for accurate information on services available to struggling individuals and families and how to qualify for those services, Zaborowski said.
“The homeless population has increased, not only in Danbury, but in surrounding communities as well,” she said. “We thought it was necessary to offer all types of assistance in one spot instead of people having to go to individual offices.”
Project Homeless Connect will be held Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bill Williams Gym on Osborne Street on the midtown campus of Western Connecticut State University. For more information, call 203-796-1504.
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