Federal grant will test a Yup'ik healing framework against homelessness

The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness will test whether a Yup'ik healing framework can move Alaska Native households out of homelessness, on a $450,000 federal research and demonstration grant. The Department of Health and Human Services, through its Administration for Children and Families, made the award Aug. 31, for a one-year project running through Aug. 30, 2027.

Services may include individualized case management, housing navigation and wellness planning grounded in Calricaraq, described as a traditional Indigenous Yup'ik healing and healthy living framework, along with peer support and coordination with tribal partners. Federal records list the work under a "Strong Families, Strong Communities" heading and cite behavioral health, family stability and disconnection from culture as barriers to be addressed.

The grant is more than double the coalition's largest previous federal award.

Anchorage's shelters are strained: the 2026 Point-in-Time Count recorded 291 people sleeping outside, shelters ran at 100% capacity, and officials estimated a need for 100 more year-round beds.