What We Learned from Project Homeless Connect
Nick Casassa & Colin Halligan
James Madison University

The Eta Delta Chapter at James Madison University sent six members to the Annual Meeting in Denver this summer. We were aware that there was a community service day, but no one knew exactly what we were going to be doing. After our arrival, we found out that we would be participating in Project Homeless Connect, about which we were extremely curious.

Sponsored by KPMG and the KPMG Foundation, we went through training on Thursday morning, when we finally got a grasp on our roles in the project. Project Homeless Connect gives the homeless the opportunity to obtain services such as: medical care, employment and education services, legal services, permanent housing, hygiene kits, applications for Social Security Benefits, and food stamps, all under one roof. Over one thousand Beta Alpha Psi members lined up in bright gold shirts and paraded down the street to our destination at the Denver Convention Center. One of our members, Nick Casassa, recalls the sea of gold shirts and his initial reactions:

“The most memorable part of Project Homeless Connect to me was walking from our training session to the actual event. This had such a big impact on me because I was struck by the vast amount of volunteers we had going to the building where Project Homeless Connect was going to be. As we squeezed our way down the street with the hundreds of other volunteers, in their bright yellow shirts, I just kept thinking to myself that there were so many people. I remember thinking over and over that when we got there, there wouldn't even be any homeless people to partner up with because of how many people we had volunteering. Then I was hit with another startling number of people — the homeless. When we walked in I realized that even with all of the volunteers we had, there were still more homeless people here. And these weren't even all of the homeless in Denver! This was such an eye-opening statistic to me.”

Each Beta Alpha Psi volunteer was paired with a member of the homeless community. The volunteer guided the homeless participant from station to station, according to the person's needs. Another member of the Eta Delta Chapter, Colin Halligan, recounts his experience:

“Before volunteering at Project Homeless Connect, I had a negative perspective on the homeless population. Originally, I assumed the majority of homeless people battled some sort of addiction and that addiction contributed to their homelessness. When I met John my entire perception changed. Unfortunately John has been homeless for six months. He had been bouncing from shelter to shelter and waking up early to try to find day labor to scrape up a few bucks. John had no history of current or present addiction, four kids, and no job. Originally, his former employer forced him to move from Atlanta to Denver in order to maintain his employment. After working in Denver for eight months, he was laid off. From the time we shook hands until the time he left, we never stopped talking. This experience really gave me a new perspective on the homeless community. John showed me that there are many people out there who ended up in his or her position, because they caught a few bad breaks. John really helped me realize that I am lucky to have a roof over my head, food on my table, and much more.”

At the end of the day, our chapter got together and shared our experiences. Each member was touched in a different way through our unique encounters. Chloe Lewis spoke about how the event affected her:

“My experience with Homeless Connect in Denver was eye opening. At the presentation the spokesperson said they had eliminated 75% of homelessness in Denver. Seeing the extensive amount of people at Homeless Connect I can only imagine how many people have already been put on the right path by this project. I know that the family I guided through Homeless Connect really needed the services provided and were grateful for the volunteers, but more importantly the experience led me to understand on a new level the serious epidemic of homelessness across the US. I am glad that I had the opportunity to help and to know Beta Alpha Psi made a difference in other lives.”

Overall, this experience impacted each of us immensely. It changed our perspectives on the homeless community, and really showed us how fortunate we are to have what we have. Our chapter was also impressed by the project's organization. It is extremely satisfying that over one thousand Beta Alpha Psi members, advisors, and board members came together and made such an impact on the city of Denver.