A Kenai Peninsula group is asking for input on a community needs-assessment survey for a new project, called 100% Alaska.
Change 4 the Kenai is a coalition based in Soldotna that works on substance misuse prevention and other issues related to connecting the community.
Project Coordinator Shari Conner said through the survey, the coalition hopes to get a better picture of where there are gaps in community services across the peninsula, from childcare to support for the unhoused.
“The more people that take it, the more information we actually glean about where the needs are in the community,” she said.
Conner said the Kenai project was inspired by one in Arizona that brings communities together through workgroups to address gaps in services there.
“We looked at it and saw that in order to survive and thrive in your community, there were 10 essential services that needed to be available and accessible to individuals,” Conner said.
That includes medical and dental care, programs addressing food security and job training.
Conner said the survey is the first step in identifying where there are gaps in those services. And after it calculates data from the responses, Change 4 the Kenai will form 10 workgroups around those needs to go over possible solutions.
Conner said she wants to make sure people from across the Kenai Peninsula are involved in that process.
“So that it’s not just people with Change 4 Kenai that are working on it, but individuals that have a passion for that specific service, bring other people in to help work on that service so all those workgroups become independent of each other,” Conner said.
Anyone 18 or older can take the survey. You can find the survey here or call Shari Conner at 907-714-4197. Paper copies are also available.
