Discover VOA Alaska
Since 1981, VOA Alaska has taken on the most difficult tasks to help the most underserved.
When the first Volunteers of America (VOA) was founded in 1896, 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 with the opening of ARCH, our youth residential treatment facility in Eagle River. Today, VOA Alaska provides a range of mental, emotional, and behavioral healthcare and support services to youth and their families at low or no cost.
From prevention and early intervention, to counseling, family support, and life-skills development, to housing and residential treatment, our team strives to meet the need of every child, teen, and young adult in our care.
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Our vision is a community that supports the hope, health, and healing of every Alaskan.
Our mission is to empower Alaskans and uplift the human spirit through recovery services, housing, and promoting healthy communities.
We are driven by our values of courage, connection, hope, innovation, joy, and responsibility.
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:
- Client-Centered Services: Improved Client Experience
- Engage and Empowered Workforce: Improved Employee Experience
- Efficient Use of Resources: Lower Cost
- 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.
Courage
Connection
Hope
Innovation
Joy
Responsibility
Centering on Our “Why” in a Year That Tested Us
In our 2020 Community Impact Report, learn how VOA Alaska rose to the challenges the past year presented us, read stories of real impact from each of our programs, and learn how we served, and will continue to serve, Alaska’s youth and families.
The Latest News and Stories from the VOA Alaska Blog
Connection, Hope, & Healing: A Peer Support Specialist’s Story of Recovery
Michael Farrell, a Peer Support Specialist, shares his journey through substance misuse and OCD.
Going Back-to-School with Hope and Positivity
While there is a lot of hope that this can provide some return to normalcy, Lindsay reminds parents and teachers to remain vigilant and open to what kids are experiencing.
This Simple Kit Can Reverse Overdoses and Save Lives
In support of public health, VOA Alaska has found a way to serve the community by assembling and distributing overdose kits.
When Grandma Becomes Mom: The Amazing Self-Sacrifice of a Kinship Caregiver
“I had no idea that she was even being born,” Cindy says. But as Grandma, she knew she had to step in to become her foster parent.
Connection, Hope, & Healing: A Peer Support Specialist’s Story of Recovery
Michael Farrell, a Peer Support Specialist, shares his journey through substance misuse and OCD.
Going Back-to-School with Hope and Positivity
While there is a lot of hope that this can provide some return to normalcy, Lindsay reminds parents and teachers to remain vigilant and open to what kids are experiencing.
This Simple Kit Can Reverse Overdoses and Save Lives
In support of public health, VOA Alaska has found a way to serve the community by assembling and distributing overdose kits.
When Grandma Becomes Mom: The Amazing Self-Sacrifice of a Kinship Caregiver
“I had no idea that she was even being born,” Cindy says. But as Grandma, she knew she had to step in to become her foster parent.