(Miami, FL)- The City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, joined by Commissioner Joe Sanchez, over 500 volunteers and 45 service providers celebrated Miami Cares Day, an ambitious initiative to eliminate chronic homelessness in our city. The successful event was held at the Miami Arena where 639 homeless participants received free assistance and services all in one location.

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. The event coincided with National Homeless Connect Day, a project that aims to assist homeless individuals in the hopes that they will accept the resources that will prepare them to be self-sufficient.

“We are excited about Miami Cares,” said Michael German, regional coordinator of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. ”This event is showing how Miami truly cares about the people mostly in need.”

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, the City was able to reach homeless persons that may be resistant to accepting the long-term care.

“We can truly say that 252 less people are sleeping on our streets tonight and 74 people are waiting for apartment placement,” stated Brad Simon, director of City of Miami Homeless Assistance Program. ”We provided anything and everything a homeless person may need or want in one day, all in one stop.”

For one day, 639 homeless participants received assistance that provided them with tools needed to get off the streets which otherwise they would not be able to get on their own.

Miami Cares Day had 521 volunteers working on this ambitious initiative to assist the homeless participants and was able to provide:

● 177 shelter placements (HAC, Miami Rescue Mission, Camillus House, and Salvation Army)
● 75 Drug Treatment Placements
● 56 Legal consultations
● 350+ Haircuts
●120 Massages
● 15 Mental Health Placements
● 45 Service Providers (agencies)
● 74 Applications for permanent housing placements
● 346 Showers and clothing
● 110 medical services
● 5 Veterinary Services
● 63 Benefit applications
● 639 goodie bags

Miami Cares is a ground breaking outreach effort aimed at engaging the City of Miami’s homeless population into the continuum of care and breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness.

For more information on the City of Miami Homeless Assistance Program, please contact Bradley Simon, (305) 575-2029.