Fair connects homeless with help

Christian Baker just wants to get his cavities filled.

A Durham native, Baker has been homeless since his father kicked him out of the house after he lost his job a couple of years ago. He hasn’t been able to go to the dentist in years.

On Thursday, Baker and hundreds of other homeless people in Orange County will go to Project Connect — where dozens of service providers will offer health care, social services and voter registration. The event is sponsored by the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness.

Jamie Rohe, the partnership’s homeless programs coordinator, said the event will have new services this year.

“For the first time this year we have workshops designed to teach budgeting, interviewing and various skills needed to successfully obtain a job,” Rohe said.

This year volunteers will also interview the participants and share their stories with the public and organizations that may be able to help.

“It is through stories that we connect, especially on a human level,” said Susan Siegel, the volunteer who came up with the idea to interview Project Connect participants.

“The most important thing we can do for someone is to listen. Listening is a gift, and I encourage everyone to listen to the voices in our community.”

Rohe said resources are often absent in the lives of homeless and impoverished people. She said this event makes a positive impact not only on their lives but on the entire community.

“We also want the public to know the true stories about the homeless,” she said. “There are bad assumptions and sometimes a degree of prejudice toward them.”

Baker said he traveled to Chapel Hill from Durham because he thinks Chapel Hill is a friendlier place to be. He said this event can help rid the community of the negative stereotypes associated with being homeless.

“People have to realize that there are people that will take money and spend it on drugs, but there are also people that are just going through tough times since the economy is so bad,” he said.

Rohe said the main focus of this event has always been to provide genuine service for people in need.

Thursday’s event will be the seventh annual Project Connect and will be held in the Hargraves Community Center. Last year, the event helped 268 people with each person receiving an average of 10 services. The ages of those who received aid last year ranged from 17 to 83 years.

“We don’t do it to stay busy, we do it so that we can change people’s lives,” she said. “Our goal is to connect people with opportunities for change.”

Baker said he knows that finding employment will take time, but he thinks events like this hold promise.

“I hope I will be able to get a job,” he said. “If I can’t ultimately get one from attending, I know they will point me in the right direction.”

city@dailytarheel.com