Project Homeless Connect was discussed during the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting on Tuesday, September 1. Janice Nightingale provided an update about the status of the project, as well as the state of homelessness on the Kenai.
The Kenai Peninsula Continuum of Care, along with other service providers, host the Project Homeless Connect event each year, where people who are homeless or near-homeless can find the basic services they need, under one roof, on one day. They also advocate for ways to help folks on the Kenai experiencing homelessness year-round.
Nightingale said that two issues involving homelessness on the Kenai are important to her heart: her neighbor, and your neighbor: “…and I use the word ‘neighbor’ in a broad sense. Others are lucky enough to live on the Kenai Peninsula. Others, are not as lucky as I am. I have an income. I have a warm home to live in. I have enough money to buy groceries. Last fall, a group of volunteers were trained in order to be able to safely open a cold-weather shelter. The plan of operation was developed with Love INC acting as the referring agency. Several local churches agreed to open their doors, but the plan came to a halt when the reality of inspections and building safety concerns were not able to be addressed.”
She then asked for help from the assembly: “What kind of help? I don’t have the answer to that question, but you and I know that the problem of my neighbor needing assistance, especially during a cold night that will definitely appear, has not disappeared. Unfortunately, the numbers have increased.”
During a survey conducted during January’s Project Homeless Connect event in Soldotna, 67% of participants were there for the first time. Also, 90% of the participants indicated that they would use an emergency cold-weather shelter in the area, if it were available.
Mayor Charlie Pierce asked if Nightingale has reached out to churches for assistance. Leslie Rohr of Love INC answered with her experience working with churches during the COVID pandemic: “I can answer: so, we had Soldotna United Methodist Church did actually have their inspection and brought their building up to the standard required by the fire marshal to operate the shelter. Then, we had this lovely pandemic. The governing body over the church has closed the building. They’re not allowed even have their church services there. So, that took away the ability for us to do the cold-weather shelter in the church.”
Borough Assembly President Kellie Cooper said that she sees the homelessness problem only increasing as winter arrives: “It appears to me that we have a peninsula-wide concern as we get into the colder weather, along with the pandemic. How do we best help?”
For the project to help residents in-need, Nightingale said that working alongside local municipalities is vital to continue the efforts. Representatives of Project Homeless Connect will be speaking again on Wednesday at the Kenai City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be available to watch via the Zoom platform. More information can be found online.
