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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

How to curb homelessness in Rochester

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published March 5, 2026 at 5:12 PM EST
Five smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio. A man front left is bald and has a white beard; he is wearing glasses, a red sweater, and jeans. A woman front center has long brown hair and is wearing glasses, a long-sleeved grey shirt, black jeans, and black shoes; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a blue checked button-down shirt, jeans, and brown shoes; a man back left has short black hair and a black mustache and is wearing a dark shirt; a woman back center has curly brown hair and is wearing a necklace and a long-sleeved blue shirt.
Gary Pudup
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Luis Burgos, Beatriz LeBron, (background) Miguel Meléndez Jr., and Janelle Duda with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, March 5, 2026
WXXI News

Rochester City Council President Miguel Meléndez spent six months taking stock of the state of homelessness in Rochester. His new 390-page report outlines what he learned and addresses ways the county, city, and community organizations can work together to combat homelessness.

We discuss the report and the policies it recommends with our guests.

In studio:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams