Social service agencies understand that potential clients often are unwilling to disclose personal information that might cause them to lose more than they might gain. And when a collective of many community agencies in Dorchester planned a resource event designed to help people at risk of homelessness – no one knew how many people might show up looking for help.
On Thursday, over 16 different organizations and government agencies serving Dorchester residents staged an event unlike any other.
Grace United Methodist Church on Race Street in Cambridge was transformed into a mini-mall of resources all day Thursday, with teams of volunteer and staff from community agencies lined up to help. Upon registering at the church, each person was assigned a volunteer “guide” to help negotiate through the event, and network with various organizations. Outside, the Governor’s Wellmobile – a mobile doctor’s office – was onsite, as was the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with a mobile office designed to help connect veterans with all resources for which they’re eligible.
Inside the church, Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley, dressed in a purple volunteer t-shirt, was beaming at the front registration desk. “So many more people than we expected showed up,” she said. “We were hoping for 50, and we haven’t really counted yet, but far more than that showed up so far.” And according to Bill McDonnell, Director of Dorchester Department of Social Services, the event’s success was due to well-planned collaboration of many organizations working together.
Participating agencies included the Social Security Association, Motor Vehicle Administration staffers who helped people obtain personal identification, the Eastern Shore Crisis Response System and the Dorchester Cold Weather Shelter who was registering homeless individuals for shelter that very night.
Staff and volunteers made the day.
Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans organization was there, giving away backpacks filled with warm clothing and personal care items, Chesapeake Voyagers – the self-help mental health organization in Kent County and Easton, was helping to organize a similar group in Cambridge. Others included Priority Partners – the administrative agency for managed care for Medicaid in Maryland, Habitat for Humanity, MidShore Pro Bono and the Eastern Shore Health Education Center. Dorchester Library offered free books.
Dorchester Department of Social Services, Choptank Community Health Center, Delmarva Community Services and the Dorchester Health Department offered quick access to services ranging from food assistance to HIV testing, dental screenings, off-site birth certificates, blood pressure screenings, transportation, housing and aftercare follow up for persons seen by the Wellmobile medical staff.
And behind a quiet day-care room for mothers and babies, was the Delmarva Beauty Academy, who set up a virtual beauty salon, where men, women and children were offered free haircuts.
On the Shore, where community resources can be disjointed and fragmented, this collective effort proves that with networking and mutual collaboration, community agencies can band together to make a big difference for people at risk of homelessness.
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