Area residents sit down for a free haircut during the Spokane Valley Connect event on May 18.
SPOKANE VALLEY – Opportunity Presbyterian Church housed over 60 vendors on the afternoon of
May 18, and these vendors were there offering a variety of services to area residents.
These services are geared to primarily help those struggling with housing or are underserved in some aspect.
Those in need were able to find a food and clothing bank on site. To go even one step further, stations were set up so people could get a haircut onsite.
Eric Robison, the Housing and Homeless Coordinator in Spokane Valley was on site for the city, and explained these large events really help people save time and get a lot done.
"It could be very time consuming if a person scheduled all of these appointments independently and had to ride a city bus to get to all of these appointments," Robison said. "It could take weeks for someone to get all of this done where we can help them get it done in one stop at this event."
Healthcare services and information were also on site, and Rob Stevens with Molina Healthcare echoed Robison's thoughts.
Stevens is the Community Engagement Specialist for the Spokane Region with Molina Healthcare, and he explained that medical appointments are troublesome enough for folks to easily access.
"It really is important for all of us to come together under one roof like this," Stevens said. "So many individuals would end up slipping through the cracks and not finding the help they might need if we didn't do this."
Multiple agencies were on hand to help residents with a variety of legal services including family law, warrant expungement, or even help obtaining a driver's license.
Rebecca Forsythe, a woman who attended with her two children said she isn't homeless but still needs services because of how strained her income is.
"I am stuck in a vicious cycle of needing to work to pay bills and cover expenses," Forsythe said. "But with the rising costs of everything from gas to housing to childcare it has become nearly impossible to do it on my own."
She went on to explain that some of the smaller offerings that could be easy top take for granted are actually some of the most beneficial for her family.
"So, I do have to reach out for help from these organizations until I can hopefully get on my feet," Forsythe added. "Having services on site like haircuts and showers are truly under appreciated."
According to Robison, it is good to see these groups come together in times of need, but it also points to a deeper issue.
"It is good to see so many groups coming together to help these people," Robison said. "But it is truly disappointing that this many people in the community need the help like this, and sadly we see an increased need for services every time we go out.
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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