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Next Generation Stabilization: Offering Sitkans a Stepping Stone to Safety
As the executive director of Sitkans Against Family Violence, Natalie Wojcik has seen firsthand the difference that shelter, safety and advocacy can make for her clients’ futures. Safe housing can mean the difference between having custody of one’s children or not, being able to maintain steady employment or not, being able to leave an unsafe environment or not.
Natalie started volunteering at Sitkans Against Family Violence in 2009 when she was freshly out of college and looking for an avenue to make a difference in her community. The mission of SAFV aligned with her vision for her career. The nonprofit describes their work as providing temporary shelter and empowerment-based safety and trauma-informed advocacy services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, while promoting a community of nonviolence and respect.
SAFV offers a crisis call line, advocacy, referrals, education and prevention services and a 25-bed emergency shelter that supports Sitkans experiencing homelessness. Natalie says that most of her clients who utilize the shelter eventually disclose that they have been victims of abuse, even if that’s not what initially brought them there.
Over 17 years with the organization Natalie has seen her community’s needs shift and grow, prompting her to seek out additional resources to keep in her toolbelt – including a grant administered by Alaska Housing Finance Corporation that is helping her clients access the basic need of safe housing.
Covid-Era Housing Stabilization and Recovery
In 2025, Natalie learned about an AHFC program that could help her clients get back on their feet.
AHFC’s Housing Stabilization & Recovery was designed to meet people where they lived — on streets, in emergency shelters or fleeing domestic violence, and offered immediate housing paired with up to 12 months of rental assistance, as well as additional support including moving expenses and rental deposits. The program harnessed the flexibility of one-time U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance funding during the Covid-19 pandemic and was designed to respond to some of Alaska’s most pressing challenges.
Between February 2022 and the sunset of Housing Stabilization & Recovery in September 2025, housing navigators enrolled 4,241 households across Alaska.
“Our organization received Housing Stabilization & Recovery funds later in the process,” Natalie says. “Members of the AHFC team visited Sitka as part of a housing summit and I got chatting to Andy, a member of the Planning department. He learned about our organization and connected us to the grant program. Our nonprofit was able to receive the last round of the grant in 2025 and served about 25 people in that round.”
Natalie says that to her knowledge, this was the first time SAFV had applied for AHFC funding. The flexibility of HSR funds was key for Natalie’s clients and enabled the program to be successful in Sitka.
“This partnership was new for us and allowed us to provide something we were not able to provide before – direct financial support for housing without too many barriers.” – Natalie Wojcik, executive director, SAFV
“We have a variety of referrals we could previously make but many have waiting lists, restrictions around debt and criminal background or other red tape. Previously, we didn’t know how to support someone with getting into housing if they had old rental debt or unpaid utility bills. The flexibility of these funds meant our clients could pay off old debt and start fresh. Housing in Sitka is still hard to come by, but this eliminates the red tape.”
Natalie describes the ways flexible funding supported her clients. Some received rental assistance for a year. Others benefitted from funding for supportive services – things like paying off outstanding utility bills, coming up with a rental deposit, purchasing a bike so a client could get to work, or providing basic necessities like furniture, cookware or toiletries that allow someone to settle into their new rental unit.
“We continued to refer clients to other programs and funding sources they could qualify for, but this grant allowed us to serve people whose circumstances wouldn’t have fit other avenues. This was new for us in that there were no obstacles other than simply finding a place to stay.”
Next Generation Housing Stabilization & Recovery
As Housing Stabilization & Recovery funding came to a close, AHFC’s Planning department saw the importance of continuing to build on the relationship that had been formed with partner organizations. Several grantees who received HSR funds were in small communities off the road system and had not previously received funding from AHFC. Next Generation Stabilization was developed to address this gap.
“Next Generation Stabilization is focused on continuing the partnerships that were developed during the Covid-era and bolstering the relationships that were built,” says Madison Smith, Service Program Lead, AHFC. “ Many of these grantees didn’t have existing partnerships with AHFC prior to the pandemic and we wanted to continue to offer this model that had proven to work.”
Next Generation Stabilization directs $1.5 million in state funds to house Alaskans experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and human trafficking. The grant operates in rural communities off the road system with populations of fewer than 10,000. Funding was made available through a competitive funding round and ultimately awarded to seven nonprofits: Bethel Winter House, Cordova Family Resource Center, Helping Ourselves Prevent Emergencies (Prince of Wales Island), Hope Holders Ketchikan, Kodiak Brother Francis Shelter, Nome Community Center, and Sitkans Against Family Violence.
Collaborating to Build a Model That Works
AHFC hosted a summit in October 2025 that brought together service providers from 13 Alaskan communities to discuss lessons learned from the Covid-era relief programs and identify needs going forward. The feedback received at this event directly influenced how Next Generation Stabilization was structured. Like its predecessor, Next Generation Stabilization is focused on getting Alaskans into safe housing. Once they have this basic level of safety, supportive services help clients to achieve long term stability. The priority is on getting Alaskans into safe housing while reducing red tape.
At the October event, AHFC staff polled attendees and found that most partners had clients re-enter homelessness as a result of paperwork mishaps or long waits for services. Next Generation Stabilization removes unnecessary barriers and empowers service providers with the funding and flexibility to enroll eligible clients in the program immediately and place them into appropriate housing for their unique situation and needs. The cornerstone of the program is this: make the best choice for the client.
Polling at the summit also revealed that many service providers report to ten or more funding partners. To reduce administrative burdens for housing navigators, AHFC created an online reporting system for Next Generation Stabilization that updates client enrollment status, demographic data and expenses in real time. The goal is to reduce the number of required reports and empower partners to spend more time on the most important aspect of the program: helping people.
Partner organizations like SAFV enroll clients and offer them a set number of months of rental assistance, up to 12 months, with a budget for supportive services. AHFC recognizes that program navigators – people like Natalie who work on the ground to find solutions for community members – are the experts on their communities’ needs. It is up to the organizations to decide how to use funds, within parameters.
“Grantees have a set Next Generation budget but it’s up to them to decide how to allocate that budget to provide the best solutions for their clients,” says Madison.
Clients are supported by up to 12 months of rental assistance, plus funds for moving expenses and supportive services. For households who might not require a full year of rental assistance but just a boost to get started, there is a six-month route.
Providing Sitkans a Space to Stabilize
Natalie says SAFV applied for and received enough Next Generation funds to assist ten clients with one year of rental assistance. Natalie serves as the housing navigator for each of these clients, offering them the level of support they each require.
“We tried to quickly identify ten people for the current grant who weren’t eligible for other referrals like transitional housing. We did a basic intake process and created a one-pager to give to clients outlining their next steps. Basically, helping them to find a place to rent and, if needed, helping them apply for voucher assistance that can allow them to continue to afford their housing after these program funds expire.”
“We help every client at the rate that they want support. Some people want to take the lead, others need more help applying for housing and speaking to landlords. We are there to help them if they need that support.”
Natalie says that each of her ten Next Generation clients are at different stages in the process. About half are already settled in rental housing, the rest are shopping for a unit. Funding flexibility means that SAFV can help clients pay for safe temporary accommodation while they locate a longer-term rental – not an easy task in a small island community faced with a housing shortage. Some clients stay in SAFV’s emergency shelter while they apply for housing.
Natalie says that the first client who was housed in this funding round qualified for other rental assistance that allowed her to pay the majority of the rent. Next Generation funds were the key that helped her find stability after moving in: paying for utilities and basic furniture and stocking the fridge with food. Natalie says that the client found a job and expects to be able to pay her own way down the road, now that she has a safe home to return to at the end of each work day.
“It pulled her out of a really hard situation and has given her the room to stabilize,” Natalie says. “This program has been life saving for her and came at exactly the right time.”
In the previous Housing Stabilization & Recovery round, Natalie says her first clients were a couple who were able to purchase a car once the burden of coming up with rent each month was lifted. Reliable transportation meant that the client could get to work – they say they didn't think maintaining a job would have been possible without access to a reliable vehicle. As a result, the couple and their three small children remain safely housed and provided for.
A Solid Stepping Stone
From her vantage point, Natalie sees how Next Generation Stabilization is helping to fill a gap in the path to stability and safety.
“It’s important to understand that homelessness is often intertwined with domestic violence and sexual assault,” Natalie says. “There can be a lot of judgment, but homelessness and addiction are often symptoms of past violence. If you look at safe housing as a basic human right it changes your outlook on everything – I don’t think that most people choose a life where their basic needs aren’t met. It’s not simple to change lifestyles but if you have your basic needs met it’s definitely a protection.”
“I had such a lack of referrals in the past and now I have this solid stepping stone I can offer to people to offer stable, safe housing – I hope this partnership will continue.”
See the final program updated from Housing Stabilization & Recovery.