Project Homeless Connect is "One-Stop Shop" for Unhoused Community Members to Access Resources

Project Homeless Connect aims to remove barriers to care with multiple providers in one place.

Jan 23, 2026 9:02 AM Jan 23, 2026 10:33 AM

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WOOD RIVER - Unhoused community members are encouraged to attend Project Homeless Connect to engage with local services and resources.

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From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at Riverbend Family Ministries in Wood River, community members can enjoy a hot meal, free showers, and conversations with service providers ranging from legal to housing to mental health experts. Melanie Georges, who helps oversee the Continuum of Care with Madison County Community Development, said this event is “vital” to connect people with resources.

“Any place that our friends can go so that they can be warm, be safe, be heard in a nonjudgmental way and be able to connect — it’s vital,” Georges said. “Our focus this year is having providers there that can provide a direct service that day.”

The Project Homeless Connect event follows the Point In Time count. Throughout the night on Jan. 29, volunteers will go into the community to collect demographic information about the county’s unhoused population. Georges explained that this information informs legislators where and what resources are needed in Illinois.

On Jan. 30, community members can come to RFM to interact with various providers, including the Department of Human Services, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, the state mobile ID unit, Southern Illinois Healthcare, Oasis Women’s Center, veteran services, Senior Services Plus, Riverbend Head Start, Brightpoint, and more. Attendees can also receive haircuts and basic wellness, vision and hearing exams.

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Madison County Transit will provide rides to RFM that day. Bus passes are available, and Georges noted that MCT has partnered closely with the Overnight Warming Locations this year to enhance transportation services for unhoused folks.

She said that their goal is to remove any barriers that people might have to accessing these services. By having everything in one location and linking people with information about childcare, housing, legal aid, health and more, she hopes this event can help a lot of individuals.

“We’re really trying to have it be a one-stop shop for people,” she explained. “You can go there that day to connect and get connected with those agencies so that hopefully you can get a service that day. If not, you can start that intake process and move forward.”

Georges shared that it “takes a village” to care for one another, and she encourages people to volunteer to help during the Point In Time count. She noted that the Continuum of Care meets bimonthly with the hopes of eliminating homelessness in Madison County, and anyone is welcome to join their meetings and learn more about what they do.

She hopes Project Homeless Connect serves as a way to help community members access vital resources. For more information about Project Homeless Connect, including how to get involved or how to receive assistance, email MadisonCountyPHC2026@gmail.com or visit the official Madison County Community Development Facebook page.

“People should be able to come as they are,” Georges added. “They should be able to just show up at the doorstep that day and be met with some friendly faces and get a good meal, get a haircut, get a shower, and then link with all of these different providers.”