2nd Annual New Face of Homelessness Symposium

Oct. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- The 2nd Annual New Face of Homelessness Symposium, presented by Project Flipmode and Bridge Communities and sponsored by the College of DuPage Human Service Department, takes place Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at College of DuPage (SRC 2800).  The free event will be of particular interest to those who find themselves responding to the needs of the homeless.  CEUs are given at no charge for attendance at this event.

Keynote Speaker Karen Wells, former Vice President, Nutrition and Menu Strategy, McDonald’s USA, will share her own personal story of how she overcame near homelessness, poverty and prejudice to achieve personal and professional success.  Breakouts will feature Detective Mike Drugan of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department; Joyce Hothan, Executive Director of Bridge Communities; Debbie Carr of NCO Youth & Family Services;  and Christy Hasselson of Youth Outlook.

“If we could do one thing with the Symposium, it would be to create awareness on who the new homeless are: families, you, me, kids, seniors,” says Jill Markussen, creator of the New Face of Homelessness Symposium and Director of Project Flipmode, a non-profit organization that provides for families in dire need.  “The biggest misconception is that people think the homeless are just like what they see in the movies; they don’t realize that the new faces of homelessness are suburban families with kids.  If we could all be more aware of what’s going on in our society, that’s the first step.  A lot of people don’t realize that it could happen to you and me.  And when they realize that, that’s when people start taking action.”  

Registration is required for the free event.  More information and the registration form can be found in the event section of Bridge Communities’ web site, www.bridgecommunities.org.

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Bridge Communities, Inc. is a dynamic, grassroots, nonprofit organization committed to transforming the lives of homeless families in DuPage County through partnering with talented, resourceful individuals and groups in the community. Its program of transitional housing, mentoring and supportive services empowers the families to increase life skills and earning power to promote self-sufficiency, sustain permanent housing, and to break the cycle of poverty within the family unit. What began by co-founders Mark Milligan and Bob Wahlgren when they decided, in 1988, to begin to help homeless families, has now become a powerful current of change in the lives of hundreds of extremely low to low income at-risk families. To make a donation to support homeless families served by Bridge Communities, or to find out how to support Bridge in other ways, please call Mark Milligan at (630) 545-0610, ext.10 or visit www.bridgecommunities.org.