Recovery Supports & Services
The Division of Behavioral Health Recovery Supports and Services team manages grants and provides technical assistance to behavioral health providers. Grant funded programs provide wrap-around services for individuals with complex behavioral health issues, including those who are experiencing homelessness.
The team's current priority projects include Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), which is an evidence-based practice that provides intensive, community-based treatment for individuals with severe mental illness; Supported Employment, which helps individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders find and maintain employment; Supportive Housing, which provides long-term, affordable housing with supportive services for individuals who have experienced homelessness; Recidivism Reduction, which aims to reduce the likelihood of individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders returning to jail or prison; and Peer Support, which involves connecting individuals with peers who have similar experiences to provide emotional support and practical guidance.
Resources & Links
Alaskan partners:
Of interest:
Other resources:
Contact Information
Beth Wilson, Recovery Supports and Services Supervisor
3601 C Street, Ste. 934
Anchorage AK 99503
Phone: 907-269-3740
Fax: 907-269-3786
Email: beth.wilson@alaska.gov
Amanda Woody, Behavioral Health Specialist
Phone: 907-334-4429
Email: amanda.woody@alaska.gov
Crystal Smith, Behavioral Health Specialist
Phone: 907-269-8867
Email: crystal.smith@alaska.gov
Guiding Practice: Housing First Permanent Supportive Housing
“The solution to the problem of chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing, which is housing coupled with supportive services. With appropriate supports, permanent housing can serve as a foundation for rehabilitation, therapy, and improved health. Research shows that, for chronically homeless individuals, stable housing is an essential component of successful recovery. Permanent Supportive Housing is a cost-effective intervention where stably housed individuals are far less likely to draw on expensive public services. They are also less likely to end up in homeless shelters, emergency rooms, or jails, none of which are effective interventions for chronic homelessness. Public costs – whether local, state or federal – are therefore reduced.” (National Alliance to End Homelessness)
Housing First is a demonstrated best practice, considered by the United States Interagency Council on the Homeless to be the most effective approach to ending chronic homelessness. Housing First Permanent Supportive Housing works to minimize barriers to housing access. “Traditionally, many housing providers have required people experiencing homelessness to demonstrate ‘housing readiness’ either by achieving sobriety or entering treatment before offering permanent housing. The housing readiness approach can lead to people with relatively fewer needs accessing service-intensive housing, while people with more complex problems remain in shelters or on the streets.”