Putting those experiencing housing insecurity in contact with services to help them improve their situation is the focus of Project Homeless Connect, which will return for its 13th year on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizer Jodi Stuart said Wednesday that it’s “a one-day event where all of the area service providers come together to provide referrals, information or services to people.”
There are more than 30 vendors registered to provide those resources — representing a broad swath of potential needs. There will be haircuts, free hot food, employment guidance, massages, pet food, hats, gloves, vaccines, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and resources for child care, health care, mental health, disability and recovery.
Stuart said that the services aren’t limited to people who are entirely unhoused — instead looking to help “anybody that finds themselves in a difficult spot.” That includes people with bad rental history, who are dealing with the aftermath of incarceration or recovery, who have struggled with finding places to live, or who otherwise require the services being provided.
Each year, Stuart said, the program has grown — more vendors and more volunteers coming on — to the point they’re using effectively all of the space available to them at the center. That shows the way the community has come together to support the event.
The program is also successful, Stuart said. Each year they see new faces — it’s not the same people who came in when the program started. That means those people they served 13 years ago have found housing or employment — “they’ve been able to get back on their feet.”
This year, Alaska Cab and the Central Area Rural Transit System are together offering free transportation for all participants to and from the event from their homes. People in Soldotna or Kenai can call Alaska Cab at 907-262-1555 for pickup and drop off. People who live “out of town” in Sterling, Kasilof, Kalifornsky Beach or Nikiski can call CARTS at 907-262-8900.
For more information, visit kenaipeninsulahomeless.org.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
