Meet Madeline Connolly: The Director of Operations is on a Mission to Raise Awareness for our Unhoused Neighbors
Author, Gabriella Tummolo & Allison Peart | 07/07/2021
“When [you] walk down the street and see someone that’s homeless, look them in the eyes and say hello. And smile,” she says. “Don’t look down, don’t look away. They’re a human being.”
Read about how Miracle Message’s Director of Operations, Madeline Connolly, has worked to rebuild social support systems amongst San Francisco’s unhoused population, and about her experience doing so through our Miracle Friends Program. →
Nearly one year after Madeline Connolly joined the Miracle Messages team, the City of San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing came calling with a request.
The Covid-19 pandemic had begun to sweep the nation and San Francisco’s ‘shelter in place’ edict required unhoused individuals to move into hotels for the remainder of the outbreak. It was a time of heightened vulnerability and isolation for everyone, and individuals experiencing homelessness were facing even greater levels of seclusion and hardship for the unforeseeable future.
Knowing of Miracle Messages’ mission to fight relational poverty, the city asked the MM team to create a program - one that would foster connection during a time of widespread isolation.
From this request, Miracle Friends was created: a phone-based buddy system pairing unhoused individuals with volunteers for weekly one-on-one calls and text conversations. With a mission to end relational poverty, rebuild social support systems, and combat isolation faced by unhoused individuals in times of normalcy and crisis, its work is simple but transformative. Volunteers act as mentors and companions to their unhoused buddies and, in turn, unhoused neighbors become valuable friends.
At the time of the call, Madeline Connolly was a valued volunteer and soon-to-be Director of Programs and Operations at the organization. She had joined Miracle Messages as a case-solving volunteer in the spring of 2019, allocating time in her retirement to do meaningful work. As a case solver, she reconnected one staff member with his brother in her very first reunion case, and since, set off on a personal mission to use her managerial and IT skills to advocate for those experiencing homelessness and disconnection.
As Miracle Messages continued to grow during the pandemic, Madeline came out of retirement to take a full-time position as Director of Operations. She now oversees both the Reunion Services and Miracle Friends program. As complimentary programs, they both serve to fill the lives of unhoused neighbors with love, care, and support.
“Miracle Friends helps break down barriers by allowing [unhoused individuals] to be seen, heard, not judged, [but] met where they're at”, Madeline shares. Miracle Messages’ reunion services do the same by reconnecting unhoused individuals with loved ones around the country.
As Miracle Friends continues to grow, Madeline emphasizes the transformative value of connection in the lives of all individuals, something even more pronounced in the era of Covid-19. “We all have felt a level of isolation during this pandemic, [and we] have this in common with unhoused neighbors”, she explains. By fostering meaningful connection, the work of Miracle Friends is not only transactional, it is transformative for volunteers and unhoused members alike. The impact, on both Madeline and the community, has been deeply visible. One phone call, she’s discovered, can empower your friends, family, and unhoused neighbors. It can show them that they matter, and show them a degree of love and support that is truly life-changing.
The Miracle Friends program has now fostered 150 life-changing friendships since its pandemic-era inception. Madeline, as one of the leading directors of the program, feels she has learned a lot from the program already.
“When [you] walk down the street and see someone that’s homeless, look them in the eyes and say hello. And smile,” she says. “Don’t look down, don’t look away. They’re a human being.”
You never know when one conversation, one smile, or one act of care will make someone feel less invisible, and more connected to their community. With Miracle Friends, Madeline and the Miracle Messages team are working to foster this connection among San Francisco’s unhoused community and beyond each day
To learn more about Miracle Friends, visit miraclefriends.org.