Correction: A previous version of this article stated that this would be the first year that Project Connect would be hosted in Niles. This is incorrect as the program has been offered at Niles locations in years past. 

Those in need in Berrien County will have chance to explore all the resources available to them at the Niles District Library on Nov. 9.

The Niles District Library, 620 E. Main St., Niles, will host Berrien County’s annual Project Connect from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. The annual event is meant to serve as a one-stop-shop for connecting individuals and families in need with services and resources available in Berrien County.

The event will include free lunch, free event transportation and free take-home bags to the first 100 visitors. A Feeding America Food Truck will also be present at the event to help Berrien County residents in need take food home.

“The main goal of the event is to get as many social services groups under one roof at the same time,” said Sarah Skinner, who is organizing the event of the Niles District Library. “Having all these services in the same place at the same time means people can get all the services they need.”

More than 30 organizations will have booths inside the library for people to visit, including housing and utility services, employment services, medical and dental services, mental health and substance abuse services, veteran services, homelessness services and elderly and disability services.

Project Connect was started in California in 2004 to help the homeless population in the area. Since then, the event has made its way around the country, and is no longer focused solely on homelessness and has grown to include a variety of other social services, Skinner said.

Typically, the Berrien County Project Connect is hosted in Berrien Springs or St. Joseph, according to Skinner.

“We are trying to show more attention with this to the south of Berrien County,” Skinner said. “Sometimes I feel we get kind of forgotten down here in south county. We aren’t where the main courthouse is or where the services originate from.”

Now that the event will be hosted in Niles, Skinner believes that Project Connect can help many Berrien County residents by connecting them with the services that will most benefit them.

“A barrier for a lot of people is transportation. They can’t go to Benton Harbor. They can’t go to St. Joe and all these different places,” Skinner said.  “This will help people get the help they need.”

In addition to connecting people with services they need, Skinner hopes that Project Connect will raise awareness about the needs of underserviced populations in Niles.

“I think this event will raise the visibility of underserved populations. You don’t necessarily see the homeless or low-income populations that we have here,” Skinner said. “The people that really need the help aren’t jumping out of the woodwork at you. They are kind of in the background, so this just kind of brings the awareness that there are these people in our community and it’s up to us to help them out.”