10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015
Photos by JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Volunteer guides, wearing yellow shirts, help individuals check in at the Project Homeless Connect event.
Homeless: Event attendance is still a
fraction of local homeless population
Continued from Page 1A
cate is often the most important
step in overcoming homeless-
ness, Seavert said. People are
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CCA offers a mail service
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homeless people can come in
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Area homeless shelters also
connect homeless with post of-
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from the state Department of
Motor Vehicles.
Michael Ruiz, the DMV
manager in Astoria, said local
agencies often write letters to
the DMV to certify a homeless
person’s given P.O. box, in or-
der for the person to get an ID
card.
³:HWU\WRZRUNZLWKGLIIHU-
ent agencies and the public to
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homeless, there are ways to get
an ID,” Ruiz said. “The DMV
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will have an ideal home, so we
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Overall, seeing people
move from booth to booth was
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after hurdle, organizers noted.
Clatsop County’s Project
Homeless Connect is held each
Tony DeGoede, Clatsop
Community Action staff mem-
ber, said the event traditionally
attracts about 200 homeless
people each year. Having half
that number this year is actually
a positive sign for the commu-
nity, DeGoede said.
“Our goal is to reduce the
numbers,” he said.
The attendance at Homeless
Connect is still a fraction of the
local homeless population.
In 2014, Clatsop County re-
corded 638 homeless families
and 1,038 individuals. Record-
ings show 321 people were un-
der the age of 18.
CCA is conducting its annu-
al homeless count for this year.
The results are expected to be
released by April.
Homelessness includes peo-
ple living with others due to
losing their own housing and
are “doubled up” which has be-
come more common among the
county’s youth.
Of all the services offered,
DeGoede said, the most popular
is, of course, housing services.
However, most of the hous-
ing services could only offer Pamphlets about mental health sit on a table.
waiting lists Wednesday and re-
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clean legal history.
DEL’S O.K.
“All the barriers to housing,
we try to help with,” DeGoede
said.
CCA’s Joanne Seavert col-
lected 60 names of homeless
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forget that many of the agencies
offer the same services year-
round.
“We do this, and then the
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housing and advocacy groups,”
DeGoede said. “We don’t
stop.”
Join us!
Community Health Fair
February 14, 9am-2pm
FESTIVAL
& JOB FAIR
Clatsop County Fairgrounds
92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria, OR
Join the CMH/OHSU Cardiology Clinic on Valentine’s Day for a fun
and informative, heart-friendly Community Health Fair.
SATURDAY
FEB. 7 th
Free
admission
10 AM - 5 PM
Jerry Martin takes an eye exam to check for signs of glau-
coma during the Project Homeless Connect event at the
Seaside Civic and Convention Center Thursday.
FREE! Fun for the whole family!
ASTORIA
Clatsop County
Fairgounds
year in honor of Jessica MacLay,
the originator and organizer the
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from injuries suffered in a fatal
car accident. The event has since
been named in her memory.
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held in a Warrenton church, then
moved to the convention center.
Project Homeless Connect,
founded in San Francisco, be-
gan Dec. 8, 2005, in 26 cities
across the country.
The event is a helpful one-
day, one-stop event, DeGoede
said, but he hopes people do not
Lo g g in g Co m p e titio n s
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< Get basic health screenings.
< Get advice from experts on heart health, medication interactions,
orthopedic surgery and more.
< Learn about local health & fitness programs.
< Talk with local medical specialists.
< Test your strength and balance.
< Win prizes hourly! Fun for the whole
family!!
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