Governor's Funding Cuts Will Result With Children Losing Early Educ Services & People Losing Supportive Housing Says RurAL CAPBy MARY KAUFFMAN
July 03, 2019
“More than one-third of our Head Start facilities will close,” said Kristin Ramstad, RurAL CAP Child Development Division Director. “This will cut crucial services from children and their families throughout the state.” Impacts of the budget cuts spread from the termination of services that support low-income children and their families to the closure of additional supportive housing facilities, Safe Harbor and Sitka Place. These facilities offer services to individuals and families suffering from chronic homelessness, mental illness and physical disabilities in the Anchorage area. Children, families and individuals in supportive housing have access to 24/7 tenancy support, case management, skill development and clinical services for substance abuse treatment, therapy and behavioral health assessments. The cuts in these services result in the elimination of staff positions for direct care and support services statewide, ultimately terminating more than 80 existing jobs between the Child Development and Supportive Housing Divisions and further weakening the economy of rural Alaska according to RurAL CAP. The state budget overlooks the economic benefit of prevention and health and wellness services. The decision to defund critical community services will undercut our community’s efforts to protect vulnerable populations and particularly impacts children and rural Alaskans, according to Anderson. The Southeast Alaska service region of RurAL CAP contains the rural areas of Haines Borough, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Juneau city and Borough, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Petersburg Census Area, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Sitka City and Borough, The Municipality of Skagway, Wrangell City and Borough and Yakutat City and Borough. RurAL CAP currently operates the following programs targeting low-income families in the Southeast Alaska region:
For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2018, RurAK Cap's Sources of total funds were reported as $38,052,676. Of that total, federal funds were over $17 million with State of Alaska funding at almost $6 million. Rural Energy Enterprises (REE) was one source of funding contributing $9,141,755 in non profit funding to the RurAL Cap program. Rural Energy Enterprise is a wholly owned subsidiary of RurAL CAP and is a wholesale distributor of energy-efficient and money-saving products. REE began in 1987 after receiving a federal grant to evaluate the feasibility of engaging in energy-related for-profit activity. (For details download the 2018 Annual Report.(pdf) RurAL CAP reported in 2018 that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) was used to acquire and develop 325 East 3rd Avenue and Muldoon Garden. These two properties provide permanent supportive housing and affordable housing, respectively, to low-income individuals and families in Anchorage. The number of housing units was not in the report. Other Affordable Housing properties purchased by RurAL CAP in Anchorage includes: Learn more about RurAL CAP's Affordable Housing properties in Anchorage: Learn More about RurAL CAP's Supportive Housing properties in Anchorage: Statewide Housing Highlights in September 2018 Report (Click here for report)
Statewide Community Development Division Highlights 2018 (Click here for report)
Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. is a statewide program governed by a 24-member Board of Directors representing the public sector, the private sector, and the different regions of rural Alaska. RurAL CAP is an Anchorage-based private, statewide, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with its mission to empower low-income Alaskans through advocacy, education, affordable housing and direct services that respect Alaskan’s unique values and cultures.
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