Written by: Danna Matheus 🇻🇪
Man receiving free personal care products from The Neighborhood Well at the Community Resource Fair on Sept.14, 2024. (Danna Matheus)
The City of Hyattsville hosted a Community Resource Fair on Sept. 14 at the Hyattsville Queens Chapel Town Center for people in need and those experiencing homelessness.
The community fair included employment opportunities from Employ Prince George’s, free legal assistance with Maryland Legal Aid, hygiene and personal care products by The Neighborhood Well, mental health resources, ID assistance, and food.
Image 1: A family receiving legal assistance from Maryland Legal on Sept.14, 2024 (Danna Matheus)
Image 2: Man receiving free personal care products from The Neighborhood Well at the Resource Community Fair on Sept.14, 2024. (Danna Matheus)
According to a survey conducted in the City of Hyattsville by the H3 Project, 56.2% of the homeless population became homeless due to financial crisis.
“I feel very happy because I got information I didn't know. (...)The financial situation is tough right now, so one has to look for help,” said Dolores Bonilla, a Maryland resident of 40 years, originally from El Salvador.
The Resource Community Fair is part of a series called Hyattsville Cares, an initiative from the Hyattsville Government Alliance Race and Equity (GARE) team.
“Ultimately, the GARE team and the City of Hyattsville hope to find a comprehensive and holistic response to homelessness,” said Shakira Louimarre, Race and Equity Officer of the City of Hyattsville and Hyattsville GARE team leader.
Shakira Louimarre, Race and Equity Officer of the City of Hyattsville helping two men at the Community Resource Fair on Sept.14, 2024 (Danna Matheus)
According to the survey, 76.6% of the homeless population of Hyattsville identifies as Latino, and 81.3% reported not being originally from Maryland, with 43.1% saying they got to Maryland via Coyote.
“We had at least 75 people today. It was a success,” said Reggie Bagley, the Emergency Operations & Parking Manager of the City of Hyattsville and member of the Hyattsville GARE team. “I think, ideally, we could do this quarterly.”
During the summer, the Hyattsville GARE team partnered with the Hyattsville First United Methodist Church to help the unhoused population by delivering Subway box lunches to strategic locations where the unsheltered gather.
According to Bagley, the goal was to gain the trust of the homeless population, ask them what free services they would like to receive from the City, and, based on the data collected, partner with organizations to provide those services at the Resource Community Fair.
Lunch Subway Boxes delivered to people experiencing
homelessness on on Sept.10, 2024 (Danna Matheus)
“We found out that a number of people cannot get jobs because they don’t have IDs, so Maryland Motor Vehicles was here to help people with the process of getting an ID,” said Bagley.
According to Bagley, one of the hindrances of not having an ID is that many don’t have an address, so the City of Hyattsville partnered with CASA. This organization advocates for immigrants and working-class families. CASA also offers a program that allows people to register with them and use CASA’s addresses to get an ID.
Bus used by Hyattsville city staff and the First United Methodist
Church to drive around the city handing out lunches
on on Sept.10, 2024. (Danna Matheus)
According to Louimarre, the response to homelessness has long-term goals like offering affordable housing and increasing access to job training and higher education. Still, the first step is to gain the people's trust, which is the primary goal of the Hyattsville Cares team while providing direct support.
“My respects to all the people who helped me today (…) All my life, I've lived on that mountain. That's my jungle. [Referring to the wooded area behind the Aldi on Queens Chapel Center] I know it like the back of my hand,” said Luis Molina, originally from El Salvador, before using the services provided at the event.
Luis Molina receiving towels and personal care products to take a shower at The Neighborhood Well's mobile showers on Sept.14, 2024 (Danna Matheus)
The Neighborhood Well's mobile showers on Sept.14, 2024. (Danna Matheus)
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