One stop for help

WASILLA — When temperatures dip well below zero outside, it’s easy for most to reach for an extra blanket or put another log on the fire. If that first helping at dinner wasn’t enough to satisfy, a second can normally be had. Feeling a little grimy? Nothing a quick shower can’t fix.

But if you’re among the nearly 960 identified homeless in the core area of the Valley, you may not have that extra blanket, there are no seconds and a shower can be a rare luxury.

Bringing those people some help and hope while identifying and quantifying the need for homeless services in the Valley is the goal of Mat-Su Promise Homeless Connect. The event has helped nearly 275 adults and children the past two years, and hopes to see 200 or more at this year’s connect, said Dave Rose, executive director for Mat-Su Coalition on Housing and co-chair of the Homeless Connect.

“This does a couple of different things,” he said of the gathering, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla. “It continues to keep homeless and housing issues on people’s minds and it pulls together agencies that meet the needs of homeless folks and facilities, getting the services to the people who need it most.”

More than 50 stations will allow people to choose from myriad services, including basic medical treatment, dental health, Social Security, information from agencies that help, haircuts and employment assistance, Rose said.

“The more you’re able to help people, the more they’re apt to take that help,” Rose said. “One of the big things that has come out of the connect is the coalition has been strengthened by some of the task forces that have been formed.”

For example, Rose said that information gathered from previous Homeless Connect efforts led to its Rapid Rehousing Coalition receiving a $550,000 federal grant, matched by half by Mat-Su Health Foundation to provide close to $750,000 to help homeless or nearly homeless people find sustainable housing. Since October 2012, those funds have helped more than 350 people.

“And that came because we were able to show those numbers” gathered from previous Homeless Connects, Rose said. “One of the main reasons we’re sponsoring the connect is there needs to be service, but we also want to gather some information about what exactly are the services that are needed.”

The event is a collaboration by local groups, including Mat-Su Coalition on Housing, United Way Mat-Su, Family Promise Mat-Su, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Mat-Su Community Transit (MASCOT), MyHouse, and the city of Wasilla.

At Family Promise Mat-Su, director Laurie Kari helps place homeless families into temporary housing situations. Her agency can help up to 15 people at a time, which isn’t nearly enough, Kari said.

“It’s not enough, and these people (we serve) are the folks who passed the substance abuse test and the dangerous felony background check,” she said. “There are so many other folks who don’t pass those tests.”

Homeless Connect doesn’t discriminate based on those criteria, she said. “If you need, come.”

That the effort has grown each year isn’t surprising, said Kari, who’s also a co-chairs the event. There’s a need and word gets around about what Homeless Connect can provide.

“It’s growing every year. We had better PR this year, so I think that will help, too,” she said. “We got the word to all the food banks and all the social services agencies.”

She’s also excited about a partnership with MASCOT that will help provide transportation for those who need assistance getting to the Menard center. MASCOT will provide extra rides to the Menard, a route the service typically doesn’t run. It also will add a run from Talkeetna to connect folks there to the event.

For those who don’t live near a MASCOT stop, a fleet of six vans with drivers is also available to shuttle people to connect with MASCOT, Kari said. For information about transportation or to schedule a ride, call 745-5827.

Donating use of the sports center for the event was an easy decision, said Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright.

“We’ve got a problem out here and it’s getting worse,” he said. “Before they start building these huge hobo camps like in Anchorage, we can get a handle on it and get them indoors and somewhat stable and more productive.”

With the identifiable homeless count nearly 960, the reality is there are likely many more people who are either homeless or close to it, Rupright said.

“That’s a lot, a lot of couch surfing, a lot of living with relatives, living on the streets,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a little surge in the homeless population because people in Fairbanks who are homeless come down south because it’s winter. Let’s get these folks identified.”

Another hoped-for result of the Homeless Connect is to help break down the stigma that being homeless is something to be ashamed of, Rose said.

“We have a lot of folks who need help but we hear, ‘well, I may not have water or food, but I have a roof over my head, so I’m not homeless,’” he said. “Or, they say, ‘help somebody else; we’re not that bad off.’”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

What: Mat-Su Promise Homeless Connect

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Jan. 30

Where: Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, 1001 S. Mack Dr., Wasilla

MASCOT has teamed up with Mat-Su Promise Homeless Connect to provide transportation to Wednesday’s event. MACOT will run buses to the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center. Also, vans will provide transportation to MASCOT stops for those who need it. For more information about transportation to Homeless Connect, call 745-5827.