The 4th annual Project Homeless Connect at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center was about more than just getting an accurate homeless count for Clatsop County, or helping connect people to services and resources. It was about creating opportunities for members of the community and volunteers to pay it forward.

Volunteers like David Drafall, who spent the day giving out free hair cuts. Drafall works as a hairdresser in Astoria and while this was his first year volunteering for PHC, it holds a very dear place in his heart.

“I was homeless in Vegas before coming here,” he said. He was working at a casino at the time and had hit hard times.

“It was just a bad situation,” he recalled. But his boss was able to help him get back on his feet.

“I told him, ‘I can’t repay you for this,’ and he told me to just pay it forward.”

So when a client told him about PHC, Drafall decided it was something he wanted to be a part of as long as he is in the area.

“I wish there was more we could do,” he said. “It’s for such a good cause because we’re all in this together. We’re got to hold each other up.”

Drafall was just one of 42 different organizations who volunteered for the day to offer their help and services to those in need. Roughly 160 volunteers also showed up to help walk people through the maze of tables and booths and connect with the help they need.

Sunset Empire Transportation District also held their ridership appreciation day on the same day, to make it easier for people to attend the event.

“We try to keep it as simple as we can,” said Tony DeGoede with Clatsop Community Action. “It’s about offering them the main staples like health care, housing and food, but also those community based programs they need to get back on their feet.”

It also served as an opportunity for different organizations to spread the word about services they offer.

“We love being able to give products away and get the word out,” said Trudy Brawley, the Administrative Assistant with the Pregnancy Resource Center. “A lot of people don’t know what we do, so it’s an opportunity for us to network.”

Besides health care and baby blankets, other services available for the day were sight and hearing testing, hygiene products, medical care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, SSI benefits, legal advice, birth certificates, voice mail and mailing addresses, employment information, legal services, education information and much more.

Everyone who participates also gets to partake in a hot lunch, cooked and served by members of Lighthouse Christian Church in Seaside.

“We feed everyone and the volunteers all in the same place because we want to make it feel like a community,” said Degode.

Last year more than 200 homeless individuals participated in PHC. Once they’ve walked through, they’re asked to complete an exit interview.

“We’re jut asking them what services they found most helpful, if there is anything else they need and how we can improve for next year,” DeGode said.

Several of the volunteers have also experienced homelessness in their lives and spend the day giving back. Helping Hands outreach Re-Entry members passed out free clothing, hand-made blankets, personal care items and hygiene products. They collect the items throughout the year for this one day that they can help.

“It’s just our little elbow of the big picture,” said Chief Executive Officer Alan Evans.

Other volunteers, like Seaside Library Director Esther Moberg, saw it as an opportunity to help her community.

“It’s a really good way for the library to connect with people and see how we can help,” she said, adding they will probably have a booth next year.

Project Homeless Connect originated in San Francisco as a one day, one-stop services event for people experiencing homelessness. It has been adopted by more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada and Australia.