For the second consecutive year, the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust will celebrate Homeless Awareness Day, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 9, 2010. Local residents, schools, churches, and diverse organizations will take to the streets to participate in cardboard brigades from 12 – 6 p.m. at designated locations throughout the County.
The goal of Homeless Awareness Day is to create a more profound community awareness of street homelessness in Miami-Dade County. In addition to the cardboard brigades, more Homeless Awareness Meters and Super Meters, designed by artist Romero Britto, will be placed in high-traffic areas around Miami-Dade County in addition to the ones that have already been unveiled by the Homeless Trust during the past year. The goal for these meters is to collect some of the millions of dollars in spare change that are currently being handed out to panhandlers each year. The funds collected by these meters will support the addition of new beds and indoor meal programs to provide food and shelter to people in a dignified manner.
“Not all panhandlers are homeless and not all homeless are panhandlers so through these meters, people will be able to donate their money to the homeless in a manner that is effective and accountable,” said Ronald Book, Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.
For more information on Homeless Awareness Day, to join a cardboard brigade or to sponsor a meter, please call Eloise Rodriguez at 786-326-2221.
Founded in 1993, The Miami Dade County Homeless Trust is a county agency headed by a board of 27 volunteers appointed by the Miami-Dade County Commission charged with the responsibility of implementing the Miami-Dade County Community Homeless Plan. These volunteers represent the business community, the religious community, the educational community, the provider community, the political community, and formerly homeless individuals. Since its inception, the Homeless Trust has been instrumental in reducing the number of homeless in Miami-Dade County from over 8,000 in 1993 to approximately 800 people today. For more information regarding The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, please visit www.miamidade.gov/homeless/.