Amid budget cuts, Anchorage nonprofit sees 230% rise in calls for service

(KTUU)
Published: Aug. 7, 2019 at 6:58 PM AKDT
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Amid big budget cuts, the United Way of Anchorage is seeing a 230% rise in calls from the same time last year.

The nonprofit runs Alaska 211, a resource that connects people to services across Alaska. “We had a couple of record breaking days on the 22nd and 23rd. We had over 247 calls in that two-day span, which are big days,” said Sue Brogan, the organization’s COO.

She described callers who don’t know who to turn to for help. Some are looking for housing, some for mental health treatment and some for help with substance abuse disorders.

After the Senior Benefits Program was eliminated, there has been a dramatic rise in elderly Alaskans seeking help, Brogan said.

“We’ve had many, many seniors call us extremely frustrated and disappointed. They had a plan, and now the plan changed, and they really didn’t know who to call.”

A strategy to ease their financial burdens is to refer them to food pantries. Brogan says food pantries are often available across the state and mean people can save their money to “keep their house.”

She described that some people also become eligible for other benefits and they are referred to those services.

A few blocks from the United Way of Anchorage’s downtown building, representatives from roughly two dozen nonprofits gathered to protest the governor’s vetoes.

“I believe the majority of us want just that a vibrant, healthy, and strong state. The vetoes made by Gov. Dunleavy do not help us toward that future,” said Trevor Storrs, the CEO and President of the Alaska Children’s Trust.

The collective message, delivered outside the Atwood Building, was for Dunleavy to sign House Bill 2001, legislation that would restore the vast majority of the governor’s vetoes.

Not all organizations across Alaska share that vision. In an interview with Channel 2, Brad Keithley, the managing director of Alaskans for a Sustainable Budget, agreed with the governor’s goal to balance the budget.

The organization is skeptical of a big cut to the Permanent Fund dividend and thinks per-barrel oil and gas tax credits should be part of the fiscal conversation. It also calls for a flat tax on all Alaskans to get their “skin in the game.”

“No one is really willing to spend taxes. If you don’t have additional revenues, you’ve got to cut spending to get them in balance,” Kiethley said.

Matt Shuckerow, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said on Tuesday that the governor was reviewing the bill but there would be a limited number of “add backs” passed by the Legislature.

The spokespeople for the various nonprofits all said they had no received no indication if their programs would be funded or have their funding restored.

“It’s challenging now, I think it’s just going to get more challenging,” said Brogan.

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