A group of Juneau organizations and the regional tribal government are working together on an event that will provide direct services to unhoused people in Juneau.
The Juneau Coalition on Housing and Homelessness and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s Community Advocacy Program are partnering to host Project Homeless Connect on Tuesday.
The event brings together unhoused people and the agencies that serve them, organizers said on KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon last week.
Dave Ringle is with St. Vincent de Paul, which is a member of the coalition. He said Project Homeless Connect will connect people to assistance that address the diverse needs and experiences of unhoused people in Juneau.
“Each one’s a little bit different,” he said. “The one thing they have in common is lack of housing, but there’s many different ways to support that.”
Some people may experience housing insecurity because they are seniors living on a fixed income while others may have a debilitating mental health issue.
Natasha Jackson is the community advocate manager at Tlingit and Haida. She said attending coalition meetings helped the tribe better understand the intersections of the work it does and what the coalition does.
“So many of our tribal citizens are in that vulnerable population,” she said.
Jackson said, for many in Juneau, homelessness can coincide with issues like domestic violence, mental illness and addiction. So addressing homelessness also means addressing those concerns in a person’s life.
Project Homeless Connect will offer haircuts, foot care and a catered lunch. People can also receive assistance with applications for programs, services and jobs.
Ringle said staff from the Juneau Police Department will provide a presentation on where people can camp legally.
Project Homeless Connect is Tuesday, April 7 at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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