Gov. Dunleavy announces new aid to fight youth homelessness in Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced $1 million more per year in federal and state aid to provide shelter for homeless youths Thursday.

The aid is expected to include $825,000 in additional annual funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $250,000 from the state, said Brian Wilson, executive director of the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.

The announcement took place at the MY House shelter for homeless youths in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The aid is scheduled to begin in 2020.

The governor said he has been seeking sustainable funding sources for aid, not temporary grants.

Tamika Ledbetter, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, called the aid a “permanent funding stream," as long as the state continues matching the grant. She cited figures indicating 3,784 Alaska public school students are homeless.

“I believe we can and we will do better for the young people of this state,” she said.

It is not yet clear how the money will be spent. The federal support requires the creation of “youth action boards,” whose members include homeless or formerly homeless youths, in order to provide input on the spending.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misreported the name of the executive director of the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness. It is Brian Wilson, not Brian Jenkins.