Annual event a ‘one-stop shop’ for Mat-Su homeless services

What you need to know:

• Project Homeless Connect will be held Jan. 27 at the Menard Center in Wasilla, offering free services like food, clothing, hygiene items, health screenings, and help with IDs and employment for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• The event brings together multiple local agencies, serving both as a resource hub for attendees and a networking opportunity for service providers. Organizers expect around 200 participants and are seeking volunteers.
• Homelessness in the Mat-Su is a growing issue, with recent assessments showing hundreds of affected families and rising statewide numbers.

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Mat-Su winters can be challenging, even in the best of times. For those experiencing the worst, they can be downright dangerous. From sleeping in frozen cars to drifting between couches or tents, people experiencing homelessness face constant instability that can quickly become perilous.

A variety of resources are available in Mat-Su for people experiencing homelessness, and many of those groups will gather under one roof from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 27 for the annual Project Homeless Connect event at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sport Center in Wasilla. It’s a one-stop shop for resources that can help people survive their circumstances – and possibly find ways out of them, said Ginger Bear with Family Promise Mat-Su, one of the agencies organizing the event.

“It’s more than just resources. They’re going to have basic needs there like clothing, food, personal hygiene items, socks, [and] winter gear,” Bear said of the event, which is free and open to anyone who wants to attend.

Attendees will receive a gift bag and a warm meal. Bear said food will be served throughout the event, which is billed as a “one-day, one-stop resource for those experiencing homelessness or housing instability,” according to United Way of Mat-Su, another participating agency.

Other services will include everything from haircuts and immunizations to public health screenings, employment assistance, and help obtaining personal identification and documents or filling out forms.

Estimating the number of people experiencing homelessness in any community is difficult, but figures from various sources indicate a significant population in the Mat-Su. In November 2025, approximately 327 Mat-Su residents out of about 7,000 statewide were recorded in the state’s Homeless Management Information System, which tracks people who seek homeless services.

A 2022 homeless needs assessment conducted by the Mat-Su Health Foundation found that 630 families in the Mat-Su had experienced some form of homelessness in the previous year. Key findings included widespread misconceptions, particularly the belief that homelessness is a choice or that people experiencing it do not want services. The assessment also found the public often doesn’t understand what homelessness looks like.

“Some people lack a clear understanding of what homelessness is and are under the impression that people couch-surfing or living in vehicles aren’t actually experiencing homelessness,” reads the assessment conducted by Agnew Beck Consulting.

There are no traditional homeless shelters in Mat-Su. Some organizations provide temporary housing after a referral or intake process.

Numbers collected during statewide point-in-time counts indicate the population has grown significantly over the past decade, with 2,655 people counted in 2025, a 49% increase since 2014.

The Project Homeless Connect event will also serve as a site for this year’s point-in-time count. Bear said as many as 200 people are expected to attend.

“Last year, 150 came, and we always try to prepare for more,” she said.

Bear said volunteers are still needed to help drive people to the event. Anyone seeking more information or wishing to help can contact organizers via the event’s Facebook page. People in the Talkeetna and Willow area who need a ride can call Sunshine Community Health at 907-495-8411.

'A family reunion for the agencies'

Numerous agencies whose work includes addressing homelessness will be in attendance, including public health nurses and representatives from local charities that provide access to transitional housing and financial aid. In addition to serving people experiencing homelessness, Bear said the event gives service providers a chance to connect.

“It’s almost like a family reunion for the agencies,” she said. “We like to see each other, and it’s very encouraging.”

Those who receive services at the event are always appreciative.

“They’re very grateful to have a one-stop shop at their hands,” she said.

Kimberly Kellar, with local nonprofit Valley Charities, said the group’s Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Store has participated in the event since 2016 and will hand out clothing and footwear to attendees. In an email, Kellar said the event is “paramount” to its mission of giving back to the community.

“Each event is memorable, as all the organizations that participate are in sync with providing assistance to those who need it,” said Kellar, who estimated the group’s contribution will likely exceed $2,800 in goods and services.

Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Store manager Levi Chord said participating in the event is a key part of the organization’s mission to help those in need.

“The secret to change is focus in struggling times,” Chord wrote. “Unity is strength.”

Matt Tunseth is a freelance writer from Southcentral Alaska. Email him at matthew.tunseth@gmail.com.