Members of the UAA community volunteered at the 12th Annual Anchorage Project Homeless Connect (PHC) held at the Egan Center on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness
presents this day-long program with
the help of community sponsors and volunteers. The goal is to move our
community closer to ending homelessness. UAA community volunteers for the 2014 PHC included Heather MacAlpine, Justice alum and Municipality of Anchorage Associate Ombudsman; Jack Runser, UAA Human Services major; and Barbara Armstrong, editor, Alaska Justice Forum, Justice Center.
This event brings together service providers and government agencies under one roof to assist homeless persons in identifying their top 3 issues of concern, and then links individuals with the appropriate provider. Hospitality is an important part of the day and a lunch is offered to attendees, as well as canned food items to take with them. Similar programs are presented in cities across the United States.
The initial interview with each attendee also presents an opportunity for collecting information about who is homeless and why. This data is aggregated and provides a tool to assist service providers and government agencies in policy making and structuring services.
Preliminary estimates show that 600 individuals were served on January 29. The final report for this event will be available shortly.
