Annual event attempts to quantify homelessness in the Valley

WASILLA — For the second consecutive year, Mat-Su Project Homeless Connect will attempt to get an accurate homeless count and provide outreach services for those in need. Last year’s event helped close to 200 people.

This year’s connect effort is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla. More than 100 volunteers will be on hand to assist people with a number of services, from free haircuts and a three-course-meal to flu shots, shower vouchers, dental previews, and vouchers for laundry and for MASCOT transportation.

Dave Rose of Mat-Su Coalition on Housing and Homelessness said more than $2,000 worth of food from the food bank has been donated and close to 3,000 pounds of clothing has been collected. There also will be gift bags with hygiene care and health care products, along with health information.

Representatives from nonprofits such as Valley Residential Services, Covenant House, Mat-Su Jobs, Alaska Department of Labor and United Way Mat-Su will be available. There are 50 stations at this year’s event that will offer some kind of help or service.

“We will also have a large number of veterans assistance available,” said Laurie Kari, executive director for Family Promise Mat-Su. “Lots of opportunities for assistance for veterans.”

Rose was quick to second that by saying any veteran with a housing issue of any sort can come and get help.

“Anchorage applied for and got a grant,” Rose said. “The grant is for the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage, so there will be a representative here for that also. Our hope is that 185-plus people will come Wednesday. From there, they will be connected to services and have a chance to fill out an information form. The data will be used anonymously to help provide grant data for grant funding in the Valley.”

Kari said the data gathered is a vital component to getting grants for the Valley.

“The Valley is sadly under represented in the numbers,” she said. “So the better numbers we can gather, the better we are going to be.”

Kari said they also will be manning a booth at Carrs/Safeway in Wasilla.

“We will have people doing counting there until midnight,” she said.

Rose said a primary local resource for homeless numbers is the Mat-Su Borough School District.

“We are also using the assistance of Families in Transition with the Mat-Su Borough School District to get a more accurate count,” Rose added. “Some of the nurses and counselors are going to do intake forms at the schools so kids don’t have to come over and so those kids who may be homeless or homeless with their parents will have the chance to be counted as well.”

Kari and Rose say the primary goal is to provide help to those who need it.

“We just want to get people here, and they don’t have to be homeless,” Rose said. “Most people don’t even know if they qualify as homeless. If they think they might qualify as homeless, or if they are just really hurting right now or about to be homeless, we want to help them out. We want everyone to come. We have plenty of volunteers, what we need is for people to help get the people here.”

Kari hopes people who have acquaintances in need will offer them a ride to the event.

“That is what the community can do,” she said. “They can offer them a ride over here.”

MASCOT and the Valley’s senior centers also will help get people to Wednesday’s event. Kari said people can call Family Promise Mat-Su at 357-6160 or MASCOT at 864-5000 or 373-5999.

For more information, contact Rose at 232-4450.

IF YOU GO

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday.

Where: Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Wasilla.

Transportation: MASCOT 864-5000 or 373-5999; Family Promise Mat-Su 357-6160.

Learn more: Call Mat-Su Coalition on Housing and Homelessness at 232-4450.