WHO: City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, volunteers, community sponsors and partners, and the community at large.

WHAT: City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz to present proclamation declaring December 8, 2005 Miami Cares Day and kick off event services.

Services to be provided to homeless individuals include: free long distance calls to family members nationwide; family reunification; legal services for those with immigration concerns as well as other legal issues; ID creation; podiatry services; eye exams and eyeglasses; medical and health care services such as flu shots and HIV/AIDS rapid testing; food stamps and hair cuts and much more. Along with short-tern services, like shelter, there will also be organizations that provide long-term substance abuse and mental health treatment as well as opportunities for participating in the continuum of care system of services for homeless individuals and families.

WHEN: Thursday, December 8, 2005
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Services to homeless individuals will provided by volunteers following the presentation of the proclamation.

WHERE: Miami Arena
701 Arena Boulevard, Downtown Miami, Florida

About Miami Cares: Miami Cares is an ambitious effort to provide services to hundreds of homeless individuals with the goal of engaging them in the continuum of care and help break the cycle of chronic homelessness in the city. Miami Cares is different in that it allows the homeless individual to provide his or her own diagnosis of needs. By allowing people to make their own decisions, it is the hope of the City of Miami to connect with homeless persons that may be resistant to accepting services.

Miami Cares is modeled after the City of San Francisco’s highly effective Project Homeless Connect, which has reduced their street population by 30% in one year. Miami Cares coincides with National Homeless Connect Day, a project whose purpose is to assist homeless individuals in the hopes that they will accept the resources that will prepare them to be self-sufficient. Over twenty other cities nationwide are participating in National Project Homeless Connect Day.

CONTACT: Bradley Simon, (305) 575-2029.