Keene Carter, his knees crippled by arthritis, eased his way down the steps of a motor home-turned-mobile health clinic Thursday morning outside Hanford's Civic Auditorium as student nurses from CSU Fresno helped steady him. Carter had been inside to receive shots for hepatitis, flu and tetanus.

Clinging to a crutch, the 56-year-old homeless man, who lives in a field behind Robinson's Interiors, made it to the ground and slowly hobbled away.

"I appreciate this, what they do," Carter said.

Scenes like that played out all over Project Homeless Connect, a nearly all-day event coordinated by Kings United Way and the Kings Tulare Continuum of Care on Homelessness that brought together agencies, service providers and charity organizations for a one-stop opportunity to provide help to the indigent.

Scores of volunteers in bright orange T-shirts did almost all of the work.

Richard Summers, a jet mechanic at Lemoore Naval Air Station, was fixing bicycles badly in need of repair. Many had severely rusted chains or no brakes. Summers figured it was a good way for him to put his mechanical skills to good use.

"I like to volunteer, pretty much. I did the soup kitchen before, but this is my set of skills, you know what I mean?" he said.

One of those dropping off a bike was Richard Jones, a man living in a motor home after he lost his trucking job in Oregon several months ago. Jones had just undergone heart bypass surgery, and his company let him go because it was taking him too long to recover.

Jones, who has family in Kings County, drove his motor home to Hanford. He's been living here ever since. He doesn't have electricity, but relatives filled up the propane tanks so he can heat the interior and cook. Family members have also helped him with food.

Jones said he attended Thursday's event seeking a new prescription for glasses (unfortunately, they were too expensive and he didn't get them). He cracked jokes about the 15-year-old pair he was wearing being good enough.

"I've never been through this before. I'm just lucky I have that motor home," he said.

Jones said he's hoping to receive a disability check soon. He said he's not eligible for unemployment assistance.

Mindful of his relative luck, Jones brought an old mountain bike to give to somebody else.

Along came Raul Bonilla. Bonilla, a middle-aged, clean-cut Hispanic man, said he sleeps in a Dumpster with his wife. For shelter, they pull a plastic tarp over the top. An old mattress serves as a bed.

Bonilla said he hasn't worked since last year, ever since he had brain surgery. He took off a baseball cap to show a long scar going nearly around his head. Ever since the operation, he said he can't sleep well and is constantly exhausted.

Jones said he eats breakfast at The Salvation Army, lunch at the soup kitchen and uses money from can and bottle collecting to buy the rest.

Bonilla happily accepted the newly tuned-up mountain bike from Jones. He also picked up a sleeping bag, socks and toothpaste from providers inside the auditorium.

"I feel happy for this community to help the people," Bonilla said.

By coincidence, Jones also won a bike during a raffle drawing inside the auditorium. He gave that one away too, again to somebody he thought needed it more than he did.

"I'm better off than a lot of people out there on the streets," Jones said.

This is the second Project Homeless Connect in Hanford, and the problem of homelessness hasn't gone away, said Nanette Villareal, Kings United Way executive director.

If anything, it has worsened since the economy went into recession. Villareal said she's seeing people who've run out of retirement savings and unemployment help -- people who don't fit the homeless stereotype.

"The community needs to understand that there are a lot of homeless people out there not holding [cardboard] signs," she said.

Inside the auditorium, booths from churches, health care providers, charity providers and government agencies surrounded tables covered with donated clothing. People rooted through the piles, many seeking warm garments for the approaching winter.

In one corner, pancakes and sausage cooked up by the Hanford Kiwanis satisfied hungry participants.

Near the center, Joe Wright, Kings County's veterans services coordinator, stood behind a table loaded with brochures. Maybe 15 people had come by to talk, most of them with military service dating to the 1970s and '80s, he said.

Wright noted the lack of a homeless shelter for men in Kings County, and said he gave people contact numbers for shelters in Fresno and Clovis.

Along one wall, hair stylists from Medeiros Spa and Salon and Irwin Street Salon offered free haircuts.

A Hispanic man strummed a guitar and sang to the crowd.

"It's an event where you get to see firsthand people getting help. It's a meaningful experience for volunteers," Villareal said.

She said it would be great if the event could happen throughout the year, as it does in cities like San Francisco. But Kings County doesn't have as many resources, she added, noting the challenge of putting an event like this together.

Villareal said last year's volunteers were happy to return.

"I think that this year, we didn't have to sell the program to anybody," she said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Nov. 6, 2009)