Covenant House Alaska

Immediate housing (shelter):the immediate and short-term housing program focuses on crisis care and provides emergency services; temporary, immediate housing; nutritious food; clothing; medical care; mental health services, and legal aid to young people who are experienceing homelessness or human trafficking. Immediate housing provides a 48-bed shelter for youth ages 13-24, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These high-quality programs and services meet youths' immediate needs, stabilize their situation, and help them consider their longer-term goals for education, employment, and career planning. The organization is expertly equipped to respond to the unique needs of young survivors of human trafficking, those who identify as lgbtq+, and those who are pregant or parenting.

Employment and education services:youth can access the support and resources they need to complete their education, gain employment skills and find sustainable jobs. The organization offers daily workshops, job coaching, and paid internships to all youth accessing services. The organization's staff, in partnership with the anchorage school district, provides educational guidance, structure and support to school age youth in a positive learning environment. Through services such as after-school tutoring, remedial education groups, and general equivalency diploma preparation classes, youth receive the essential tools they need to achieve academic success.

Youth homelessness demonstration project:in this project, a permanency navigator is assigned to assist youth as they move through housing, programs and systems with the consistency they need from a supportive adult. Because they are employed by the agency contracted for this project, not by any state division or single organization, they are able to walk alongside a young person throughout it all. They can help the youth access behavioral health, substance abuse or disability services, find the right place to live, participate in meetings with the office of children's services, develop a permanency plan, or provide aftercare to encourage success.

Transitional living - mother/child:mother/child is a supportive housing program for parenting and pregnant teens ages 17 through 20 and their children for up to 18 months in residence and 12 months of aftercare. The focus is on vocational and independent living skills, as well as raising healthy children. Mary's place offers independent living for three mothers and their children for up to 18 months that includes case management.

Outreach and drop-in center:the organization's street outreach team goal is simple. They meet at-risk kids when and where they need help most, on the streets. They go to them. The organization's team begins the process of building trust and develops relationships with youth. Through these relationships the organization is able to assist Alaska's suffering youth on the streets in choosing to walk through the organization's doors and accept the many services it offers to assist youth in getting on the path to self-sufficiency. The drop-in center program offers walk-in services to young people in need of support. Services include: counseling and referral; help with job searching, resume writing, and other employment support; educational support; use of telephone for local calls; sack lunches and hot/cold drinks; mail and phone message services.

Trafficking:the Covenant House Alaska anchor team works to identify and serve potential victims and survivors of human trafficking. The team is made up of permanency navigators who have been specially trained to work with those who are vulnerable to or who have been trafficked. The organization uses validated screening tools and relentless relationship to identify young people who have high vulnerability to being recruited into trafficking in order to provide preventative support. Referrals are also made by community partners and law enforcement. Working with other organization programs and an array of partners the team is able to meet basic needs, provide access to emergency housing as well as the possibility of permanent housing. Anchor team navigators stay connected to the young people they are assigned until they are 24 years old. These navigators do as much as they can within their role to support victims and survivors as they seek the leave their trafficking situations. Additionally, the anchor team provides training on how to identify and serve trafficking victims and survivors around the state.

Transitional living - rights of passage:rights of passage is a 25 bed co-ed residential program that provides supportive housing for youth ages 18 to 24 seeking independent living. Youth learn budgeting, employment skills, nutrition, decision making, and other independent living skills. Rights of passage serves males and females for up to 18 months in residence and 12 months of aftercare.