Community Partner: United Way of Central Maryland ‐ Project Homeless Connect
Intern: Lauren Zingaro
Site Supervisors: Scott Gottbreht
What is United Way of Central Maryland’s Project Homeless Connect?
Project Homeless Connect is a national model for delivering services to the homeless
community by bringing together services to meet every need into one place at one time.
I left after my first day working at United Way of Central Maryland confident I would end the
summer with a better understanding of homelessness and poverty in Baltimore. What I did
not expect to leave my internship with was an impressive bank of knowledge about dental
care. Organizing and recruiting volunteers for Baltimore City’s first ever Mission of Mercy
Dental Clinic meant meeting numerous dental professions, calling dental offices, and
spending two days in Southern Maryland watching a Mission of Mercy unfold. Throughout
this time, I have learned about burs, amalgam, different types of anesthetics, and other
products and vocabulary employed in the field of dentistry. This is only one example an
unforeseen lesson I learned while working at United Way, and these bits of knowledge I
picked up throughout the summer were some of the most memorable. Before this summer I
was unaware of the detrimental outcomes that stem from absence of affordable dental care,
and now I am helping to alleviate this need by organizing the Mission of Mercy hosted by
United Way at the end of September.
I leave UWCM with a wealth of knowledge and a greater understanding of the complexity of
issues that afflict the community of Baltimore. I have met people from all tiers of the
homeless services spectrum, from the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services and homeless
students’ liaisons at Baltimore City Public Schools, to service providers like the Franciscan
Center‐ all united in the goal to effect positive change for those experiencing homelessness. It
was a truly unique experience I had at United Way, and I look forward to seeing my work
from the summer come to fruition at the joint Project Homeless Connect and Mission of
Mercy event on September 29th and 30th. ‐ Lauren
Tasks:
● Coordinated and recruited
volunteers and service providers for
the annual Project Homeless
Connect event that provides on‐site
services to approximately 2,000
homeless participants.
● Helped launch Baltimore City’s first
Mission of Mercy free dental clinic,
which will provide cleanings, fillings,
and extractions to 1,000 patients.
● Submitted grants to secure funds for
both PHC and MoM.
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