Petersburg’s ninth annual Project Connect resource fair and Point in Time count happened on Jan. 28.
Organized through local nonprofit Humanity In Progress (HIP), Project Connect is designed for anyone experiencing housing insecurity. It provides access to resources like winter clothes, gear and hygiene items collected months in advance. A warm meal was also available at the event, as well as vouchers and assistance from local agencies.
While there, participants were asked about their housing situation and where they slept the night before as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Point in Time count — an annual nationwide survey on housing insecurity.
The data helps measure the extent of homelessness in Alaska, and can be used to request federal and state funding for projects like building low income housing in a given community.
Of the 138 people who attended this year, 23 participants said they’d been homeless in the last three years, primarily in Petersburg; 19 of whom identified they’re currently experiencing homelessness. This snapshot only accounts for the number of people who were able to attend Project Connect that day — when Petersburg also got the most snowfall it’d seen in several weeks.
In partnership with other local organizations and a number of volunteers, HIP has facilitated Project Connect for several years. HIP President Ashley Kawashima told KFSK’s Olivia Rose there’s more to the matter than meets the eye.
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Kawashima said HIP keeps some items leftover from Project Connect, and the rest is brought to Wrangell by the U.S. Coast Guard for a nonprofit called Building Respect and Valuing Everyone (BRAVE) to distribute in the community.
