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Each of these funding sources plays an essential role in serving the most vulnerable individuals in Alaska.
- The Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) provides homeless prevention supports (rental/utility emergency assistance), emergency shelter options, and access to rapid rehousing in multiple communities. The FY22 Proposed Budget decreases HAP to $7,200,000. Click here to find more information in the Mental Health Bill (Page 11, Line 18) for the original proposed budget.
- The Special Needs Housing Grant (SNHG) operating dollars and housing vouchers provide long-term rental assistance for seventeen successful housing programs across Alaska, targeting the most vulnerable homeless population. The FY22 Proposed Budget maintains flat funding for SNHG at $1,700,000. Click here to find more information in the Mental Health Bill (Page 11, Line 20).
- The Human Services Community Matching Grant (HSCMG) & Community Initiative Matching Grants Program (CIMGP) provide funding to prevent and alleviate challenges for those with serious mental or physical hardships. HSCMG is one of the only funding streams to support operations for safety net services like basic shelter and food provision. The FY22 Proposed Budget maintains flat funding for both HSCMG and CIMGP. Click here to find more information in the Operating Bill (Page 18, Line 27 & 31).
The Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2) and the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) would like to first and foremost thank you for your continued advocacy around housing and homeless services. From speaking out in 2019 in support of essential safety net services to visiting your state legislators in February during the 2020 Alaska Statewide Housing Advocacy Day, your efforts to support vulnerable Alaskans have made a difference! We also thank Governor Dunleavy and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) for their support for vulnerable Alaskans and quick adjustment to the proposed HAP budget.
Alaskans today face many difficult financial decisions as we navigate the economic impacts of COVID-19 across our state and work to care for our community members who were living with housing insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic and the community members experiencing new homelessness or at-risk of new homelessness. Experts around the country, and in our home state, have expressed significant concerns about increasing homelessness since the first quarter of 2020. In Alaska, we are already experiencing early impacts as we see continued unemployment and significant shelter demand increases across the state as we work to rapidly deploy assistance to the many Alaskans who are at-risk of eviction or foreclosure in the coming months. The current federal eviction moratorium ends March 31, 2021. Federal CARES Act supports have been critical to keeping Alaskans in their homes. AHFC is partnering with local government, tribal housing partners and nonprofits to manage the rental assistance made available in December of 2020. Multiple Alaskan communities have created additional local rental and mortgage assistance programs as demand continues to grow. Many Alaskans have been kept in their homes as communities have taken significant steps to mitigate the new homelessness being caused by the economic impacts of COVID-19. Sadly, these resources do not meet current demand, which we anticipate will continue to rise once the eviction moratorium is lifted. Our community members need assistance to prevent them from entering homelessness on a large scale. Retaining our statewide funding to address new and continuing homelessness is a win for all Alaskans. We appreciate the difficulties ahead as we manage our state budget and view these statewide services as mission critical.
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together as a community, we know that we will have to ramp up our education and advocacy efforts to stay the course of our shared mission to make homelessness in Alaska rare, brief, and one-time. Again, we invite you to share your voice with the community and our elected officials, this time in gratitude, as we continue to support our vulnerable neighbors. Please join us in thanking Governor Dunleavy and AHFC for their partnership in the mission. Thank you again for advocating to build a Homeless Prevention and Response System that will be able to provide the necessary resources to those experiencing homelessness, to prevent new individuals from entering into homelessness, and to make sure every Alaskan has a home.
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Thank You to Everyone Who Participated in the 2021 Anchorage Mayoral Housing and Homelessness Town Hall
The 2021 Anchorage Mayoral Housing and Homelessness Town Hall was a huge success! The continuous engagement and high quality of the debate covered a lot of ground and provided voters the opportunity to hear candidates share their policy perspectives on these two important issues. Thank you to the candidates for a robust discussion on housing and homelessness policy:
- Dave Bronson
- Forrest Dunbar
- Bill Evans
- Bill Falsey
- George Martinez
- Mike Robbins
Thank you to all who viewed the event, shared with your friends and contributed valuable comments. A special thanks to our co-host the Anchorage Home Builder’s Association (AHBA) who have been wonderful partners in our mission to make homelessness rare, brief and one-time in Anchorage. We gratefully recognize our sponsors Rasmuson Foundation, Northrim Bank and the Anchorage Daily News. These events were only made possible with their gracious support.
Did you miss The 2021 Anchorage Mayoral Housing and Homelessness Town Hall?
Click below to watch the replay:
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Homeless Prevention & Response System (HPRS) Advisory Council Monthly Meeting
The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) will hold its monthly Homeless Prevention & Response System (HPRS) Advisory Council meeting Thursday, February 25, 2021 from 4 PM- 5 PM via Zoom at: Advisory Council Zoom Meeting. ACEH members and the public are encouraged to join these monthly meetings.
The HPRS Advisory Council meeting include the following:
- Monthly updates from the Homeless Prevention & Response System Advisory Council
- Special presentations from HPRS partners
To find out if you are a current member of ACEH or to become a member, please email [email protected].
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The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness is looking for a highly organized, hardworking, and self-motivated Administrative and Finance Specialist to work closely with, and report directly to, the Director of Finance and Administration to ensure operational and organizational efficiency. The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for assisting the Director in following areas: administration, finance, IT, compliance, and human resources.
The ideal candidate must be able to work comfortably in both small team settings and independently with minimal direct supervision. They will need to have superb time management and organization skills, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and be comfortable with general office operations, including professional electronic correspondence, filing, typing reports and related materials, and distributing mail. Detailed expectations regarding its primary responsibilities are outlined in this document.
To learn more, see our job posting: Administrative and Finance Specialist Job Description
To apply please send to following to [email protected]:
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The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness is looking for a highly organized, hardworking, and self-motivated Healthcare and Homelessness Coordinator to work closely with, and report directly to, the Executive Director to launch and coordinator the next iteration of Anchored Home including a new citywide healthcare and homelessness initiative. The Healthcare and Homelessness Coordinator will be responsible for assisting the Executive Director, ACEH management team and core external partners in the design, launch and on-going management of the new initiative. This initiative will be a central element to the city’s plan to solve homelessness and include coordination of the systemic elements of the COVID-19 strategy for those experiencing/ at risk of homelessness.
The ideal candidate must be able to work comfortably in both small team settings and independently with minimal direct supervision. They will need to have superb time management and organization skills, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and be comfortable with public speaking and partner engagement. Detailed expectations regarding its primary responsibilities are outlined in this document.
To learn more, see our job posting: Strategic Healthcare and Homeless Project Manager Job Description
To apply please send to following to [email protected]:
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Who is the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness?
ACEH is the convening body of the Homeless Prevention & Response System (HPRS), often also referred to as the Continuum of Care (CoC).
How do I become an ACEH member?
Individuals and organizations interested in participating in ACEH are encouraged to fill out an ACEH Membership Application. This application offers membership and voting opportunities to guide ACEH and the Anchorage Homeless Response System in its work to make homelessness in our community rare, brief and one-time.
Send completed forms to [email protected] with any questions you may have about membership.
Membership scholarships are available for an agency or individual who lacks the financial resources as determined by the Advisory Council. Membership fees are waived for individuals experiencing homelessness or those with lived experience.
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