Anchorage, Alaska (May 5, 2022) – The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (Trust) board of trustees has directed $1.55 million in Trust grant funding to supportive housing projects in several communities.
Trust beneficiary housing is a priority area for the Trust, which has long recognized that Trust beneficiaries cannot address underlying behavioral health conditions and meet other goals without safe and stable housing. Further, the Trust understands the need for supportive services to help those experiencing homelessness be successful–particularly those who also experience a mental illness or substance use disorder. For the projects listed below, the Trust joins other private, philanthropic, and public funding partners.
“These supportive housing projects represent opportunities for Trust beneficiaries to transition away from homelessness, and to meaningfully engage in services that can improve their health outcomes,” said Steve Williams, Trust CEO. “We cannot meaningfully address homelessness for vulnerable Alaskans without the community of partners, providers, and funders who have collaboratively advanced these important projects. We are grateful for the positive impact we are making together.”
Trustees directed grant funding to the following initiatives:
Nome’s Housing First Project
Nome Community Center, Inc., $375,000
Nome Community Center (NCC) will construct and operate Nome’s Housing First Project: HomePlate. NCC is planning a new building with 15 units of permanent supportive housing that also offers wraparound, individualized supportive services for Nome’s most vulnerable, chronically homeless individuals. Currently, there is no housing available in Nome for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness that need supportive services.
Bethel Permanent Supportive Housing Project
Bethel Community Services Foundation, $375,000
Bethel Community Services Foundation will build and operate a 20-unit Permanent Supportive Housing apartment complex in Bethel that will serve an identified population of vulnerable Trust beneficiaries experiencing chronic homelessness. This will be the first permanent supportive housing project in Bethel and it will use the Housing First model, using housing as the first and best intervention toward health, well-being, and recovery. There are community-wide partnerships in place to support operations and meet the service needs of residents.
Juneau’s Teal Street Center, Phase 3
United Human Services of Southeast Alaska, Inc., $300,000
Trust funds will support the completion of the Teal Street Center, an innovative and collaborative community services hub that will serve Trust beneficiaries in Juneau and the surrounding Southeast region. Teal Street Center will lease space to numerous Trust beneficiary-serving partner organizations, creating the ease and convenience of one-stop service, enhancing collaboration between professionals and clients, and increasing awareness of the range of resources available. Trustees also approved a grant of $150,000 for the project in 2020 for the first phase of construction.
Anchorage Complex Care Shelter
Catholic Social Services, $500,000
Catholic Social Services will operate a Complex Care Shelter in the former Sockeye Inn to provide long-term shelter for Trust beneficiaries and other individuals experiencing homelessness who have complex care needs, including unmet medical needs, and individuals experiencing substance abuse and mental illness. This project is a result of the facilitated Anchorage Mass Care Transition Plan, jointly created by the Mayor, Assembly, and community partners, to transition individuals experiencing homelessness from Anchorage’s current mass shelter.
To learn more about the Trust’s work in its housing and other focus areas, visit: https://alaskamentalhealthtrust.org/alaska-mental-health-trust-authority/what-we-do/
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About the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a state corporation that administers the Mental Health Trust, a perpetual trust created to ensure that Alaska has a comprehensive mental health program to serve Alaskans experiencing mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, and traumatic brain injuries. The Trust operates much like a private foundation, using its resources to fund system change, demonstration projects, funding partnerships, technical assistance, and Trust-initiated projects. The Trust is fully self-funded and is overseen by a seven-member board of trustees.