But when Jamie Rohe saw the bag, it told her something about the man carrying it.

Instead of just another person passing her on the street, she knew the man who walked with a slight shuffle was homeless. She recognized the bag as one of the knapsacks given to visitors during last September's Project Homeless Connect outreach program.

"He and I connected in the parking lot," said Rohe, the county's homelessness program coordinator. "It was like, man, this is what it's about. It was because I saw the bag."

Project Homeless Connect is a one-day effort to connect homeless people with food, clothing, medical screenings and other services they might need.

Now Rohe is working to make more connections, encouraging the community to read a book about one man's real-life friendship with a homeless person.

Orange County's Partnership to End Homelessness has chosen "The Soloist" by Steve Lopez for a community read, the first in a series of activities that will explore the issues of homelessness.

"The Soloist" is the story of Lopez, a Los Angeles Times reporter, and Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted musician and mentally ill homeless man he met on the streets of Skid Row. The book was made into a movie starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. earlier this year.

"I loved it, and I'm not just saying that," Rohe said of the book, now available at the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Orange County libraries and the Cybrary in Carrboro's Century Center.

"It really enlightened me about people with mental illness, what their existence is like living on the streets and how hard it is to help them," Rohe said. "It's so eye opening."

People are being asked to read the book over the summer and post comments on a blog at www.ocpehdiscussions.blogspot.com, where Rohe and Orange County librarian Amber Campbell will pose questions for discussion. The Chapel Hill News will also publish articles about the book this summer to get people thinking.

In September, discussion groups will be held around the county for people to meet in person to share their thoughts about the book. The groups will be led by mental health care and homelessness professionals.

Chris Moran, the executive director of the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services, has not read "The Soloist," but saw a "60 Minutes" segment on the two men that inspired it.

Moran said he's seen relationships like the book's in his own work.

"I really encourage people who are concerned about homeless individuals to come to our facility and talk to people," he said, inviting the public to the IFC's community kitchen and shelters. "I've been doing this work for a very long time and every time I go I learn something new: what people are looking for in life, what it will take to put it all back together again."

"When people volunteer, wonderful things can happen," he said.

mark.schultz@nando.com or 932-2003

FOR MORE INFO

To host a discussion group or join the Community Read, contact Jamie Rohe at jrohe@co.orange.nc.us.

To learn more about the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness, go to www.co.orange.nc.us/housing/endinghomelessness.asp.