Project Homeless Connect provides key connections for unhoused neighbors
Service providers set up on the fourth floor of Loussac Library shortly before doors opened for Project Homeless Connect 2024.
Our neighbors experiencing homelessness connected to services and housing resources — and got some essentials for winter — at Project Homeless Connect 2024. More than 450 people were served, many of whom are living unsheltered as winter begins to set in. Of those, 47 people were new to the homelessness service system.
Anchorage’s annual daylong, one-stop resource fair took place Oct. 15 at Loussac Library in Midtown. The large and impactful event joined those experiencing homelessness with a wide range of organizations that offer help, from food to employment services, from health care to housing. Individuals could get flu shots, learn about GED classes and enroll in the Coordinated Entry system that prioritizes people for housing and winter shelter.
The most asked question: Where’s the winter gear? The second-most asked, according to ACEH Executive Director Meg Zaletel, was “where are housing providers?” People want to get off the streets.
This community event relies on dozens of service providers as well as volunteers essential to keep stations running and guests well-served. Individuals were outfitted with winter gear: hats and gloves, jackets and snowpants, boots and socks. They were offered essential supplies including first-aid kits, headlamps, reflective tape and hygiene items. For lunch, 600 dishes of lasagna were served.
Since the first Project Homeless Event in San Francisco back in 2004, cities all around the United States have created their own events including regional hubs and cities in Alaska. Anchorage has been hosting Project Homeless Connect since 2007.
This year in Anchorage, the following agencies took part: Aging & Disability Resource Center, Akeela House, Alaska Behavioral Health, Alaska Housing Finance Corp., Alaska Legal Services, Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, Anchorage Health Department, Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, AWAIC, Beacon Hill, Catholic Social Services, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Disability Law Center, Food Bank of Alaska, Goodwill, HUD, the state Labor Department, Mountain View Health Clinic, NeighborWorks, Alaska, Nine Star Employment Services, North Star Behavioral Health, Partners for Progress, the state Division of Public Assistance, SALA Medical, Southcentral Foundation, Veterans Affairs and the state Women, Infants & Children program.
“Imagine being unsheltered and trying to run all over town to apply for housing, work on your GED or get a health check. At Project Homeless Connect, we bring everything into one building so that all kinds of help is just steps away,” said Jessia Parks, chief operations officer for the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. “Our whole community thrives when everyone has what they need to be safe and move forward in life.”
Special thanks to service providers and community members who gave their time and resources to make this possible.