Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness Highlights

Apply for your PFD!

Please remember our neighbors experiencing homelessness when applying for your PFD. 

Last year over 1,500 Anchorage neighbors received housing assistance through the combined efforts of the Anchorage Coalition to end Homelessness and our many partners. The generosity of community members is essential in making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. Thank you for continuing to support those experiencing homelessness with your time and resources.

More work to do. There are still over 2,800 individuals & families without a home. 

How to give:

1.   Go to mypfd.alaska.gov
2.   Select “Yes, I want to Pick.Click.Give.” when prompted
3.   Select Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness 

Local Housing & Homelessness Highlights

American Lung Association in Alaska

Strengthening Landlord/Tenant Relations

The American Lung Association in Alaska is working to improve client/landlord relations by reducing complaints regarding secondhand smoke exposure; reducing the risk of fires, which can keep people housed in their preferred locations; and protecting the health of residents, staff, and visitors by reducing secondhand smoke exposure and/or encouraging individuals to quit tobacco use.

They can help anywhere in the process – including resources for helping people quit or simply a sign saying they are smoke-free.

Call 907-931-5470 for more information.

House of Transformations

Program Openings

House of Transformations has beds available for single adults. Wrap-around services include 24hr monitoring, life skills, case management, peer support, addiction services, vocational training for careers, employment services, treatment, and more.

Contact: admin@houseoftransformations.com or (907) 333-2468

United Way of Anchorage

Restaurant and Hunger Relief Program

In the many months since it started in November of 2020, as community members, small businesses and restaurants were struggling, the Alaska Hospitality Retailers Association, the Municipality of Anchorage, and United Way of Anchorage created an innovative partnership to bring desperately needed revenue to Anchorage restaurants. The goals were to keep restaurant workers — cooks, dishwashers, and delivery staff — on the job, to keep restaurants purchasing food and supplies, and provide welcome meals to low-income families, children, youth, and seniors who are underserved and food insecure. 
 
Between November 2020 and January 2022, the program provided more than 340,000 meals to children, youth, seniors, people experiencing disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and those seeking housing, jobs, and safe shelter. The impact of this project meant that many non-profits who participated were able to save funding and time to dedicate additional support for their participants during the demanding time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new opportunity: new funding for this program will allow us to select non-profit partners to receive meals once again. Funding through the Municipality of Anchorage will provide meals to organizations for several weeks in 2023.  Dates and specific details are being developed now.

Who will be eligible? The United Way will be looking for sites that have on-location meal service that can distribute and ensure delivery or consumption to participants quickly. The meals are in individual take out containers that are subject to protocols for take-out service delivery. Meals are monitored for food safety. Recipient sites to be selected for this round will have between 20 to 150 people receiving either lunch or dinner each day. Meals may be provided between 1 and 5 days per week.

The United Way will also prioritize community locations that are serving low-income populations, people with disabling conditions and others who are in the community safety net services with fewer resources.

To receive a questionnaire to apply for participation in the project, please email the United Way at restaurantinfo@ak.org. 

Questions can be sent to Nancy Burke: nburke@ak.org

National Housing & Homelessness Highlights

Community Solutions
 

Override the myths

The perception that homelessness is inevitable is not only false but dangerous: it justifies the avoidable suffering of vulnerable people. In a wealthy country like ours, there is nothing normal or inevitable about homelessness. Homelessness impacts less than 1% of our U.S. population — it is completely within our ability and means to end it. In fact, a growing number of communities are doing just that. Amplify the message that homelessness is solvable and challenge leaders in your community to end, not simply respond to, homelessness. Visit www.homelessnessissolvable.com to learn more. 

National Low Income Housing Coalition 

Join NLIHC, NAEH, and CBPP Webinar on Homelessness and Housing First on January 9!

Join National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for a webinar on homelessness and Housing First.

Homelessness is a crisis in many communities – one that demands urgent action. To end homelessness once and for all, federal, state, and local governments must invest in proven solutions at the scale necessary to address the problem. The Housing First model is one of the best strategies for ending homelessness.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)

“All In 101: Overview of New Federal Strategic Plan 
to Prevent and End Homelessness” 

Last month, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Click to read the full announcement.

Next week, USICH is hosting “All In 101: Overview of the New Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.” This webinar is for anyone interested in learning more about the plan—including homeless services, housing, and health-care providers; advocates; state and local leaders; and people who have experienced homelessness.

Click to register.

Registrants will receive slides and a recording following the webinar.