Middletown residents will take to the streets on Nov. 15 for a charity walk to support an anonymous group of citizens who roam those same streets every day—the homeless.
The second annual “Walk for Homelessness in Middletown” is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on the city’s South Green, following speeches by City Development Director John Robinson and Mayor Domenique Thornton. Walkers will travel north along Main Street to the North End where they will stop for a presentation at St. Vincent DePaul Place—a community outlet for the homeless. The walkers will then return to the South Green on foot.
Connection Inc, a non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of life in Connecticut, organized the walk to raise community awareness of homelessness in Middletown. Proceeds from the walk, in the form of the donations, will be put towards Connection’s Eddy Shelter on Bow Lane in Middletown, which is the only shelter in Middlesex County for single males and females.
“We are hoping that this walk will help educate people to the fact that any of us are susceptible to becoming homeless, and that it is crucial, especially, in the winter months, that shelters are able to provide for those who don’t have a roof over their heads,” said Connection organizer Heide Erb.
Homelessness is a widespread problem in Middlesex County due to the area’s disparity between wages and rent costs. According to Erb, someone earning minimum wage would need to work over 100 hours per week to be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Middlesex County.
“Most of the people who visit our shelter are people who have at least a high school education,” she said. “Many of those who are in need of a shelter aren’t your typical bums but rather people who have fallen onto hard times, through a personal or financial crisis.”
Because it is being held on National America Recycles Day, the Walk for Homelessness, walkers will be given the opportunity to fill out a Recycling Promise Card, which enters them in a free local, state and national raffle for a variety of environmentally friendly prizes.
For more information about the Walk for Homelessness in Middletown, contact Heide Erb at (860) 343-5500 ext. 2125.
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