Youth Permanent Supportive Housing
VOA Alaska's permanent supportive housing program serves the most vulnerable young adults.
We are using research-based services to bring hope to the lives of transitional aged youth (18–24) who are facing the most extreme of circumstances, such as houselessness and other risk factors including trauma, exploitation, and mental health and substance abuse challenges.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) that pairs affordable housing with support services and addresses chronic houselessness and instability of those living on the street and who are most vulnerable and most likely to die without intervention.
While there is a significant body of research around the effectiveness of PSH, nationally, this has not been done with youths or transition-aged youths. VOA Alaska is using PSH as a critical piece of the overall strategy to end youth houselessness in our state.
VOA Alaska's PSH program is the first youth-focused permanent supportive housing in Alaska.
PSH connects clients with benefits, community resources, life-skills classes such as budgeting and cooking, and employment and education counseling. Additionally, clinicians help clients address a number of mental health and substance misuse concerns.
This program represents hope. Hope that with timely intervention, these young adults who are struggling with mental health and addictions do not end up in the houseless system for decades or worse.
