Twice each year, Bethel’s Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center connects unhoused people in the community with resources from local organizations in an event formerly called Project Homeless Connect.
But this year, the event and its name expanded to include some of the community's newest members. It’s now called Project Resource Connect and opened its services to people displaced by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. Local library director Theresa Quiner explained the change.
“We've been thinking about changing the name for a while anyway, just to kind of destigmatize the name of the event,” Quiner, director of the Kuskokwim Consortium Library, explained. “And also, there's a lot of people in the community that would benefit from the services available here.”
The event is part of a state-wide project intended to make the community’s resources apparent to anyone who may need them, as well as to provide day-of resources in a one-stop-shop model.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, community members filed in to get a hair cut from volunteers from Windy Willow’s salon, eat a warm bowl of moose chili, and get flu and covid vaccinations from a Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation pop-up. One station ironed on reflective tape to jackets and at another, attendees could pick from a table of warm layers and outdoor gear. The upcoming January event also functions as a way to collect data intended to get an updated snapshot of the local unhoused population and its needs.
Quiner said that event organizers saw the value in spotlighting the same set of resources to the newest members of the Bethel community.
“We have more agencies at this event than we usually do with the idea that there's a lot of information for people who might be new to Bethel because of the typhoon that they would benefit from getting here today,” Quiner said.
Local dog rescue non-profit Bethel Friends of Canines helped sign people up to get their dogs spayed and neutered. For evacuees sheltering in Bethel homes, the organization could also connect them to free dog houses to help manage space as well as free dog food.
The American Red Cross was also a new agency featured at the event, as was a table from the City of Bethel.
Kayla Saddler is an administrative assistant in the city office. Talking to evacuees, she was also a Yugtun interpreter.
“I just want all of them to get what they need to get and understand everything that is going on,” Saddler said.
At her table, Saddler helped connect evacuees sheltering in Bethel with information about individual assistance applications, as well as resources available to them in town, like laundry options, bus passes, and shower and pool access at the fitness center. She also kept a list of names of people that were still in need of more solid long-term housing.
Saddler said that making sure people understand everything that’s available to them is important. There’s a lot to learn in adjusting to a place like Bethel.
“It is bigger than the village, and it takes a while to learn what's going on and what the resources are, and having stuff like this, a place of resource, and it helps a lot of people,” Saddler said.
Saddler said that it's been heartwarming to experience the gratitude in the room. She said that it’s amazed her how people have come to her table beaming despite their circumstances.
