You fought for Alaska's most vulnerable and restored critical homeless services funding!
Today, the Governor signed HB2001 (Operating Budget) which restored $2,248,700 for the Human Services Community Matching Grant (HSCMG) and the Community Initiative Matching Grants Program (CIMGP). These funds support substance misuse treatment, mental health services, food and shelter for low income individuals including funding to support victims of domestic violence, youth and families. This paired with SB 2002 (Capital Budget) restores a significant portion of statewide homeless services. Thank you for the incredible community turnout. Your phone calls, public comments, emails and letters made this restoration of funds possible. You shared your voice on behalf of our vulnerable- and it worked!
You can find more information on the budget and the vetoes in the following links:
While much of the homeless services funding was restored this year, many other critical funds were vetoed in both SB 2002 and HB 2001. This includes a partial veto of Homeless Assistance Program (HAP), the loss of mental and behavioral health funds, Medicaid, and many other needed statewide services. We recognize that cutting any safety net services will negatively impact the vulnerable in Alaska.
The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) and the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2) are partnering to create a more comprehensive statewide education and advocacy strategy as the Governor’s office has signaled strongly that they anticipate more cuts in the years ahead. We will be providing further information about resources that will be available and how individual organizations can get involved on our respective listservs. Please stay tuned.
