SAVE THE DATE for Day of Restoration for Detroit’s Homeless

Northeast Guidance Center’s Community and Police Partnership Advocacy (CAPPA) jail diversion staff, in collaboration with the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority, community partners and many volunteers, held its annual health fair for the homeless at a new location in Midtown Detroit – Cathedral of St. Paul, 4800 Woodward Avenue, at the corner of Warren Avenue. CAPPA is a jail diversion program for individuals involved in the criminal justice system that includes street outreach and police training.

The annual outreach program is designed to provide Detroit’s homeless population, comprised of an estimated 16,000 men, women and children according to the 2015 State of Homelessness Annual Report for the Detroit Continuum of Care, with basic necessities such as a winter coat, outerwear and hygiene kits in addition to a hot meal and health and depression screenings. Homeless individuals living in the downtown/Midtown Detroit area received assistance with benefits applications, and information on social services support, housing options, employment and skills training, substance use treatment, and connections to many community service providers. EMPWR Coats are distributed from the Empowerment Zone, a company founded by Veronika Scott who created a transforming sleeping bag coat and hires formerly homeless individuals as employees.

Cynthia Jackson, Vice President of Clinical Programs at NEGC, applauds the work and contributions made by staff and volunteers who assemble clothing and toiletries into individual bags for distribution and devote many hours to make this outreach successful. This year, Detroit Police Department cadets served as volunteers.

“To be able to see through the eyes of a homeless person the outpouring of love and compassion for even one day out of the year that could in the long run help to turn their lives around is well worth the hours spent pulling the Day of Restoration together,” said Jackson. “Programs like DOR give the homeless a sense of value and some hope.”

THANK YOU 2017 SPONSORS:
Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.