When Kitsap County Department of Human Services took over the annual Point-in-Time Count of local people who are homeless, Housing and Homelessness Program coordinator Kirsten Jewell wanted to expand outreach to the north and south ends of the county.

Consequently, the 2018 Project Connect, an event that connects homeless individuals with services, will take place in Kingston and Port Orchard, as well as in Bremerton. The North Kitsap Project Connect in Kingston is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 25 at Village Green Community Center.

Kingston Cares, of which Jewell is a board member, is the host sponsor for the event. Volunteers are still needed. Hosting the event entails arranging space, setup, takedown and recruiting volunteers. At press time they have about 10 volunteers, but more are needed for both Project Connect and the PIT Count.

According to the county website, the PIT Count is “a one-day snapshot that captures the characteristics and situations of people living here without a home. [It] includes both sheltered individuals (emergency shelters or transitional housing) and unsheltered individuals (those sleeping outside or living in places not meant for human habitation).”

The PIT conducted in January 2017 recorded 685 individuals in 503 households who qualified as homeless. The snapshot is truly a partial picture, however, as not all homeless people will or can attend the event, and numbers are thought to be higher. Front-line social services certainly bear out that the numbers are much higher. In the past several years, the number of homeless individuals seen at ShareNet has climbed from 3 percent to 7 percent of total clients served

As people arrive at the Project Connect event, they are first asked where they spent the night. Their answer leads to one of two surveys. If their answer meets the county’s criteria of homelessness, they are given the PIT survey. If their answer indicates they are stably housed, they are given a different survey about why they came to the event and what services they need. Taking the survey is preferred, but no one is pressured and it is not mandatory in order to enjoy the event and receive information and services.

Going by past experience at the Project Connect in Bremerton, sponsored by the Continuum of Care Coalition, Jewell said there are not many attendees who will not take the survey. The surveys are conducted in relatively private one-on-one conversations. Surveyors receive training on how to appropriately conduct the surveys. Most people are willing to tell their story, to be heard, and have their personal story validated. The survey only takes a few minutes unless the person has more to share. Reports from the surveys are aggregate, and don’t include personal information. Ultimately, the data collected is reported to the state Department of Commerce Housing Assistance Unit.

The PIT Count is required in order for the county to receive federal and state funding for homeless housing solutions. Beyond that, according to Jewell, “It is another data point about needs in the community.” Project Connect is the one time of year the county actively finds these folks and receives fresh input on what’s needed from those struggling, as well as why some aren’t seeking services.

What we find in serving homeless people at ShareNet is that for all but the scrappiest, being homeless is full of pain, shame, and knowledge of the still-prevalent stigma attached to it. These are probably the top-tier reasons some homeless individuals do not seek services. Other reasons: Doubt that there’s a way out, or fear that being officially on record as homeless comes with further penalties.

Some of the participants signed up for Project Connect include providers of various assistance services: housing, legal, mental health, substance abuse, veterans and youth, as well as local food banks. The hope is that the event will also include medical services, as well as services the stably housed may take for granted but are often out of reach, such as haircuts. Sheryl Piercy, social services director for The Salvation Army, has been responsible for recruiting vendors, just as she does for the Project Connect in Bremerton, which will take place on Jan. 24. The Port Orchard Project Connect will take place on Jan. 23.

Neighbor Aid 2017, the fundraiser which allows ShareNet to keep serving its homeless clients as well as all others, has raised about $30,000 at publication time, less than half of our target goal that ensures continuation of services which include more than 16,000 individual service instances annually, as well as more than 100 children every scheduled week of the school year.

— Mark Ince is executive director of ShareNet. Contact him at director@sharenetfoodbank.org.