Billings Community Connect

Overview

- Photos by Shan Cousrouf

Billings Community Connect, formerly known as Project Homeless Connect, was held annually in Billings from 2007 to 2015. This one-day event was recognized as a national best practice in the fight against poverty and homelessness. Billings Community Connect (BCC) represented a nine-year collaboration between the city government, the business community and non-profit service providers and community volunteers.

The City has $3,500 remaining in donated funding to facilitate a future Billings Community Connect event. Nonprofit organizations that are interested in spearheading a future event, please email beckettb@BillingsMT.gov. Funding may be utilized for event building rental, insurance costs, renting tables, room dividers, etc. 

Event History

Project Homeless Connect was developed in the fall of 2004 by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. In December 2005, the National Project Homeless Connect Partnership with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness was launched. Hundreds of cities in the United States, Canada and Australia had initiated annual Project Homeless Connect events.

Although Project Homeless Connect events differ from city to city, they share certain key characteristics including the provision of local leadership and consumer-centric design:

• Hospitality: Consumers are welcomed as guests
• Immediacy: Same-day results for consumers
• Community: Voluntary civic participation
• Partnership: Across agencies and sectors
• Excellence: Rigorous evaluation and improvement
• One day: A community-wide event
• One stop: Housing, support, and quality of life resources
• One goal: Ending homelessness

“Having worked in homeless services for the past twelve years, I must admit that this is the most hopeful and productive time I can recall.” – BCC services provider

“It is very empowering to go and be a person that can extend some dignity to someone who hasn’t felt it in years.” - BCC volunteer.