Project Community Connect, Scott Carver Dakota Community Action Partnership

Since 2010, Scott-Carver Project Community Connect (PCC) has provided a wide variety of services and hospitality to people in Scott and Carver counties who are struggling to meet basic needs. This event provides services at one convenient location to those in the community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

In 2014, the CAP Agency received 2,026 requests for housing assistance and 465 of these requests (23 percent) were from people experiencing homelessness. Despite the relative affluence of these communities, homelessness is a very real issue. PCC was developed in response to the Heading Home Scott-Carver Plan to End Homelessness, which was approved by the Carver County Board of Commissioners and the Scott County Board of Commissioners in 2010.

On September 13th 2016, 85 service providers participated in PCC. In one day, over 700 individuals from 300 households accessed services including free haircuts, health insurance information, housing assistance, driver’s license and ID card vouchers, workforce services, free diapers, child and teen checkups, food shelf and clothing resources, child care and early education resources, mental health and chemical dependency resources, and veterans services. Many other services are also provided at PCC. Families and individuals in need were able to find help and hope all in one place with the support of over 100 volunteers.

The annual PCC event reinforces the goal of raising awareness by engaging the community in supporting efforts to address the challenges of poverty and homelessness in the two-county region. It brings the Scott-Carver community together to find solutions and provide services for those neighbors who are in need.

Check out this video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a17kfvBxA0&feature=youtu.be