Juneau homeless shelter seeks $59,000 to keep doors open

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Glory Hole, Juneau’s homeless shelter and soup kitchen, is facing closure as it remains short of its $180,000 fundraising goal this year.

Alaska Native organizations are holding the 2nd Annual Glory Hole Fundraiser on Tuesday to help bring in the needed funds. Last year’s event raised more than $30,000, The Juneau Empire reported.

Executive Director Mariya Lovishchuk said the 40-bed

facility needs $59,000 to keep the doors open. The shelter relies on the

community to contribute a large chunk of its operating budget each year

to fund salaries, food and

repairs.

“We have a lot of people

coming through the facility every

single day and we just have wear and tear, things that we need to deal with on a weekly basis showers break, door

handles break, we need to

replace faucets so we can wash

dishes things like that,” Lovishchuk said.

If the shelter doesn’t raise the

money this year, Lovishchuk said it will have to take from a reserve account that holds only about eight months of

operational savings. She added

that the shelter would “be hesitant to do that because I don’t think next

year or the year after that we

are going to be any better than this

year. I think it’s going to be a lot

worse.”

Lovishchuk said the holiday

season is particularly a tough time

for the shelter, which is currently

operating above capacity, housing 47 people.

“The outreach coordinator is a

lot busier finding people stable

housing and ensuring that we have as much room as possible in the

shelter. Also, outreaching to people who are on the street definitely

spikes up because the stakes are so

much higher in this weather,”

she said.

Tuesday’s event will feature dance performances and attendees will be able to purchase fry bread.

“People are putting signs up all over and making phone calls,” said Nancy Barnes of the Yees.ku.oo dance group. “We have someone going door-to-door to vendors to get auction items and door prizes.”

Lovishchuk said she was appreciative that members of the community had joined the fundraising effort.

“It takes the whole town of Juneau to make the Glory Hole operate. I’m just so grateful for that,” she said.