Project Homeless Connect shows continued housing need in Kenai; 80% of attendees said they would use a cold‑weather shelter
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Summary
Lee Shore Center Director Sherry Smith reported 111 participants (241 household members) at the Jan. 27 Project Homeless Connect; attendees cited food, employment and shelter needs and 80% said they would use a cold‑weather shelter if one were available in the community.
Sherry Smith, director of the Lee Shore Center, told the Kenai City Council that the 15th annual Project Homeless Connect (held Jan. 27) served 111 participants representing 241 household members and highlighted persistent housing and support needs across the peninsula.
"Eighty percent said that they would use a cold weather shelter facility if we had one in our community," Smith said, urging continued local planning and funding to address winter shelter gaps. She described the event as a connection point where vendors, volunteers and service providers help people secure food, transportation, medical and housing referrals.
Smith provided demographic and service‑needs data: participants were about 54% female and 45% male, ages concentrated in the 35–44 and 55–64 brackets, and 71% identified as Caucasian with 23% Alaska Native; 9% of participants were veterans. She reported that 34% said they had slept on the street, in a car or in shelter the night prior to the event, while 35% were staying with friends or family and 22% were in an apartment or house (which can still reflect housing instability).
On homelessness duration and recurrence, about 41% reported being homeless for less than a year and roughly 43% for one year or more; HUD‑required intake questions also showed repeat episodes: Smith said 24 participants reported this was their first episode, 31% had been homeless two to three times in the last three years, and 27% four or more times.
Smith described the event logistics — 43 vendors and roughly 183 volunteers supported intakes and services — and noted that almost all exit surveys rated the event as helpful and respectful. She urged the council to consider cold‑weather shelter planning as a priority for the community’s housing coalition.
Council members thanked Smith and asked whether there were specific requests; Smith focused on the need for a shelter option and for continued funding and coordination among local providers.