Stanford students volunteer and learn in Anchorage

A student-led group from Stanford University spent their spring break in Anchorage learning about housing and solutions to homelessness. And they gave back! They set up tables at one of the Coalition’s outreach pop-ups and gave away warm socks, handwarmers, rain ponchos — and bacon cheeseburgers.

The program, Stanford Alternative Spring Break, “exposes students to complex social and cultural issues through unique experiential learning courses.”

More than 200 students applied to take part in the Anchorage trip and 11 were chosen along with two student leaders. Majors ranged from electrical engineering to computer science, from sociology to the classics. They met with staff at the Coalition as well as other organizations including Covenant House, NeighborWorks, Cook Inlet Housing Authority, RurAL CAP, the Anchorage Affordable Housing and Land Trust, and Alaska Housing Finance Corp.

“I think my biggest takeaway about the housing crisis in Anchorage is how interconnected many of the nonprofit organizations are here,” said Steven Li, one of the student leaders and a master’s candidate in management science & engineering. Agencies collaborate on a common goal: getting people housed and supporting them along the way.

Nicole Tong, the other graduate student who led the trip and a master’s candidate in computer science, said “seeing Alaskans from the perspective of community partners and local Alaskans has been incredibly fulfilling. This passion makes me hopeful for the future of affordable housing and legal access, both in Anchorage and across the country.”