A collaborative community group in Sitka is taking part in a national initiative to collect goods for unhoused people in January, but they’re kicking things off a bit early. Sitka Outreach and Support: Lifeline president Julia Smith says Sitka holds its program sooner, with hopes of helping people stay warm in the earlier winter months. Project “Homeless Connect” provides a range of goods and services for homeless Sitkans, in an event next week at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
“We have tarps. If someone needs a tent, we’ll get one for them. We won’t have tents at the event, but we will have them available. We also have warm weather gear,” Smith says. “We try to have headlamps and batteries to go with headlamps and the normal things like socks, and hats, and gloves, and coats, and warm underwear, and things like that.”
Smith says Lifeline is currently looking for donations for most of those items. She says several other organizations will also be there with resources. SAIL will be giving away bus passes, SEARHC will be sharing health information, and the Sitka Homeless Coalition will be there with information on the tiny home village that’s currently in development.
Smith says they also have a small grant program to help people who are at risk of eviction stay in their homes. They work with the Salvation Army and SAIL to distribute those funds. Smith says they don’t have a lot of money, but what they have they use judiciously.
“Our main emphasis is to help people stay in their homes and not become homeless,” Smith says. “Because once you become homeless, it’s very difficult to get out of that, and we all know how difficult it is just to find a place to live in Sitka. And of course, we don’t have housing for people, so we we try our best to help people in those situations.”
The event is Tuesday, November 14 at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Drop off locations for donations are University of Alaska Southeast, St. Peter’s See House, and the United Methodist Church, 303 Kimsham Street. Those interested in making a monetary donation can call Smith at 738-6336.
