FROM: Mike Spurrier, Director, 301-600-1506
DATE: November 8, 2005

FREDERICK COUNTY COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS ANNOUNCES EVENTS
FOR NATIONAL HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK

Frederick, Maryland - The Frederick County Coalition for the Homeless (FCCH) is pleased to announce the following local events, which will be conducted as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 13 through November 19, 2005).

On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, the FCCH Monthly Meeting will be held from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Frederick Community Action Agency. The November 2005 Meeting will feature a special presentation by Mr. Greg Shupe, Director of the Office of Transitional Services for the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR). Mr. Shupe will be presenting details of Maryland’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. As Director of the DHR Office of Transitional Services, Mr. Shupe is responsible for staffing the Maryland Interagency Council on Homelessness and oversaw the development of a plan to end homelessness in Maryland within the next decade. The event is free and open to the public. The Frederick Community Action Agency is located in downtown Frederick at 100 South Market Street and the telephone number is 301-600-1506.

On Friday, November 18, 2005, the FCCH will be sponsoring a special Learning Luncheon featuring a panel of speakers from the National Coalition for the Homeless located in Washington, D.C. The Learning Luncheon will be held at the Frederick Community Action Agency from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m.; speakers from the “Faces of Homelessness” Speaker’s Bureau of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) will address the audience and present the award-winning NCH video, “Faces of the Homeless”. A free luncheon will also be served. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend. The Frederick Community Action Agency is located at 100 South Market Street, Frederick and the telephone number is 301-600-1506.

In 2004, the “Faces of Homelessness” Panel spoke to approximately 216 groups (large and small) to a combined audience of over 14,400 nationwide with the majority of the engagements being in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The NCH Speaker’s Bureau promotes advocacy, education, and service. As people who have or are experiencing homelessness, the speakers on the bureau are the real experts on homeless issues and believe that their voices are essential in the fight to end homelessness.