Wrangell’s unit of the Salvation Army is looking for community support in preventing homelessness.
In an open letter, Major Scott Nicloy pointed out that among the cuts being made across the board in dealing with Alaska’s financial difficulties, funding for the state’s Basic Homeless Assistance Program has been cut from next year’s budget.
This grant is administered locally, and as part of its administration of the grant, the Salvation Army has helped applicants fill out the 15-page form needed to receive assistance.
The state division of the Salvation Army applied for a BHAP grant last year on behalf of eight small communities in Southeast, securing for Wrangell a $3,000 allocation plus access to another shared $6,000 for housing assistance.
Of these funds, about $400 has been spent so far, helping one family move into housing and paying for another person’s utility bill, which prevented her from becoming homeless. Nicloy expects half of the Wrangell monies will be used by the beginning of April, finishing out in full by June.
With BHAP funding off the upcoming budget, he warned the program will not be able to continue beyond the initial grant. While budget talks are still underway, Nicloy asks that people interested in seeing the program’s funding restored to contact their local representatives in the Legislature. This session, this includes Sen. Bert Stedman at either 465-3873 or bert.stedman@akleg.gov, and Rep. Dan Ortiz at 465-3824 or dan.ortiz@akleg.gov.
The Salvation Army also asks that if somebody knows of individuals and families being threatened with homelessness locally, that they let the organization know as soon as possible.
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