Our Services
A group of staff dresses in tie-dye shirts and bright sunglasses on a boardwalk in front of mountains.

Who We Are

Since 1981, VOA Alaska has taken on the most difficult tasks to help our state's most underserved.

Volunteers of America (VOA) was founded in 1896 by Ballington and Maud Booth, who pledged to “go wherever we are needed and do whatever comes to hand.”

At the time, the concept of “volunteering” meant serving others as a vocation. While our understanding of the term has evolved, our dedication to serving others has not.

In 1981, VOA arrived in Alaska to open a youth residential treatment facility in Eagle River. These humble beginnings have now led to over 40 years of empowering Alaska’s youth and families through recovery services, housing, and promoting healthy communities.

Today, VOA Alaska provides a full continuum of care, from education and early intervention, to peer support and care coordination, to mental health therapy, substance use counseling, and family therapy, to supportive housing and residential treatment. We are in schools, in the community, and supporting Alaskans statewide via telehealth.

Our strength-based and person-centered services promote wellness in all areas of a person’s life. Those in our care steer the course of their journey. We walk alongside them, providing connection and services designed to help them achieve their most meaningful goals.

As a non-profit, these services are offered at low- or no-cost, and no one is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

We are honored to be a part of the healing process for all people, families, and communities we serve.

Our Vision

A community that supports the hope, health, and healing of every Alaskan. 

Our Mission

To empower Alaskans and uplift the human spirit through recovery services, housing, and promoting healthy communities. 

Our Values

COURAGE to take risks, make changes, and find strength in failure.

CONNECTION to remind ourselves and others, we are not alone. 

HOPE to lend strength to faith, knowing we can recover, we can rebuild, we are resilient.

INNOVATION to spark creativity and collaboration as we strive to positively disrupt the status quo.

JOY to see the light which shines through the darkness that may come our way

RESPONSIBILITY to meet and explore the need while holding true to the highest standards of excellence.

Our Strategic Focus

VOA Alaska exists to eliminate suffering for youth in Alaska, and to make Alaska a place where all youth can thrive. To achieve this, we’ve developed four Strategic Focus Areas:

    1. Client-Centered Services: Improved Client Experience
    2. Engage and Empowered Workforce: Improved Employee Experience
    3. Efficient Use of Resources: Lower Cost
    4. Data-Driven Decision Making: Better Outcomes

Under each of the four strategic focus area, several initiatives exist that represent the path forward to accomplishing our purpose.

Two staff members posing with a youth, smiling, outside

Our Philosophy of Care

At VOA Alaska, we believe people can recover and heal from trauma, mental health concerns, substance misuse, and other life challenges. We believe in serving the whole person. We acknowledge that all people are worthy of wellness and humbly work to grow in a way that meets the needs of our community.

Our Philosophy of Care

In 2023, VOA Alaska empowered over 1,000 youth, young adults, and families across the state.

Responsibility is one of the core values that drive our organization. For VOA Alaska, responsibility means “meeting and exploring the need while holding true to the highest standards of excellence.”

As a direct-service provider on the frontlines of the youth mental health crisis, this understanding of responsibility takes us far beyond the walls of our offices.

2023 Community Impact Report
2022 Community Impact Report
2021 Community Impact Report
2020 Community Impact Report

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