Community Resources

The spirit of caring

Whether you’re looking for a safe home, a hot meal, or support during a difficult time, these community resources will provide when you’re in need. If you’re not sure where to start, call Alaska 2-1-1. Operators will steer you in the right direction.

New Resources

Medicaid Renewals

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid recipients did not need to renew their coverage each year. But as of April 1, Medicaid recipients will once again need to renew their Medicaid enrollment each year to determine if they are still eligible.

For more information, read our latest blog post or visit the State of Alaska’s Medicaid Renewals page.

Alaskans:

  1. Make sure your contact information is up to date. Update online or call (833) 441-1870.

  2. Check your mail for important information about your coverage.

Food Assistance

Food Pantry Schedule: View today’s food pantry schedule for the Anchorage area.

​Anchorage School District: Apply for free and reduced-price meals for the ASD students in your family.

Children's Lunchbox: Children’s Lunchbox distributes pantry boxes to children and their families. Pantry boxes provide a breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal for a family of four. They are given out in multiples to feed entire families, no questions asked.

Fellowship in Serving Humanity (FISH): FISH delivers emergency food aid to people in need in Anchorage. Call FISH at (907) 277-0818 for food delivery service if you are in a situation where you are in danger of running out of food and you do not have the money to purchase groceries.

SNAP (Food Stamps): Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for food stamps. Learn about SNAP and see if you are eligible.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program: WIC offers healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals for pregnant and postpartum women and children up to age 5.​ (They even provide taxi vouchers to the grocery store!) WIC representatives are currently enrolling families by phone. Call the Anchorage WIC office at (907) 343-4668. (You’ll need to complete these forms to apply.)

Baby Supplies

Community Diaper Pantry: Alaska Adoption Services’ Community Diaper Pantry is open every other Thursday form 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at their 4120 Laurel Suite, Suite 106 office. They provide 25 diapers and one package of wipes per family. Register here.

Books

Imagination Library: Free books for kids ages 0-4. Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton in 1996, sends a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book in the mail each month to children under the age of 5 at no cost to their families. Enroll online at Anchorage Imagination Library or find other Imagination Libraries in Alaska.

Child Care and Development

Imagination Library: Free books for kids ages 0-4. Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton in 1996, sends a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book in the mail each month to children under the age of 5 at no cost to their families. Enroll online at Anchorage Imagination Library or find other Imagination Libraries in Alaska.

Help Me Grow Alaska: Help Me Grow Alaska offers free resources and support for all of Alaska’s children and their families. Call (833) 464-2527 to speak to a Family Support Specialist who will listen to your concerns, help you organize a path forward, and get you connected to the most available and appropriate services and resources in your area. Help Me Grow Alaska also offers access to developmental screenings on their website.

Thread: Thread helps families connect with quality early care and education. Learn about choosing quality child care and search for child care using their online search tool.

Domestic Violence

AFS, AWAIC, and STAR crisis lines are available 24/7/365. They are free and confidential.

Alaska Family Services: AFS provides a emergency shelter in Palmer for women and their children, a crisis line, a sexual assault response team, and support groups. Call (907) 746-8026, text (907) 795-9246, or go to the shelter at any time.

Alaska Women’s Aid in Crisis: AWAIC provides an emergency shelter in Anchorage, a crisis line, and non-emergency support, including assistance filing a protective order, securing safe and permanent housing, finding health care, recovering from addiction, and more. Call 907-272-0100 at any time to connect with a trained advocate.

Standing Together Against Rape: STAR provides crisis intervention, advocacy, and support, including support groups and trauma counseling. Call STAR’s crisis line at (907) 276-7273 or toll-free 1-800-478-8999.

Health Insurance Marketplace

ANHC's Patient Support Services team can help you enroll in a health insurance plan. Contact them at (907) 743-7220 to schedule an appointment for assistance. You may also visit www.healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 to sign up for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Heating Assistance

State of Alaska Residential Utility Assistance Program: The State of Alaska Residential Utility Assistance Program may be able to help with your heating or electric bill. For more information, call 1-800-478-7778 or complete an application online.

Housing Assistance (Financial)

NeighborWorks Alaska: NeighborWorks Alaska helps Alaskans find quality, safe, and stable housing. They offer both rental assistance and assistance purchasing a home.

NeighborhoodLIFT: NeighborWorks Alaska manages NeighborhoodLIFT, a down payment assistance program. It provides eligible homebuyers with $10,000 to be used towards a down payment and/or closing costs when purchasing a qualified home. If you are a veteran, service member, teacher, paraprofessional, law enforcement officer, firefighter, or EMT, the program provides $12,500.

Housing Assistance (Shelters)

Adults: The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission and the Brother Francis Shelter provide shelter services for men and women.

Families: The Salvation Army’s McKinnell House offers emergency shelter for homeless families, as well as case management and educational support.

Women: The Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center provides shelter services, job skills training, daily meals, and more.

Women and children: Alaska Family Services and Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis provide 24-hour emergency shelter for women and their children seeking safety from domestic violence or sexual assault. Clare House is a 24-hour emergency shelter for women with children and expectant mothers over the age of 18.

Youth: Covenant House is located in downtown Anchorage. Call 907-272-1255 or drop by at any time. MyHouse is located in the Mat-Su Valley. Call (907) 373-4357 or stop by Gathering Grounds Cafe between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Case Management is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Information (Alaska 2-1-1)

Alaska 2-1-1: Alaska 2-1-1 is a one-stop resource for finding help in your community. It's free, confidential, and available in almost any language. For life challenges and everyday needs, help starts here. Dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221 or email alaska211@alaska.org. They are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7 days a week.

Legal Services

Alaska Legal Services Corporation: ALSC provides free legal services to eligible clients facing civil legal issues.

ALSC Alaska Law Help: This website provides information on various free and low-cost legal programs in Alaska.

ALSC Landlord Tenant Helpline: The Landlord Tenant Helpline provides assistance to both tenants and landlords with legal questions and situations.

Disability Law Center of Alaska: DLC is an independent non-profit law firm providing legal advocacy for people with disabilities anywhere in Alaska.

Family Law Self-Help Center: FLSHC is a offered by the Alaska Court System. It offers classes, programs, and resources for those seeking information about Alaska family law who are not represented by a lawyer.

Medicaid

Apply: Visit healthcare.gov to check your eligibility and enroll. We are also available to help! Call our Outreach, Enrollment, and Eligibility team to schedule an appointment at (907) 743-7220.

Renew: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid recipients did not need to renew their coverage each year. But as of April 1, Medicaid recipients will once again need to renew their Medicaid enrollment each year to determine if they are still eligible. Read more on the State of Alaska’s Medicaid Renewals page.

  1. Make sure your contact information is up to date. Update online or call (833) 441-1870.

  2. Check your mail for important information about your coverage.

Medical Assistance

Anchorage Project Access provides specialty medical care to residents of Anchorage who are uninsured and meet certain income requirements. After your primary care provider refers you to Anchorage Project Access, APA will connect you with the care you need, as well as food, housing, employment, and other resources.

Mental Health Resources

Careline: Careline is Alaska's suicide prevention and “someone to talk to” line. It is free and confidential. They treat callers with respect and listen without judgment. Contact them if you are in crisis, are a survivor (of a suicide attempt or if you lost someone to suicide), are grieving, are concerned about someone, or are feeling down and need someone to talk to.

  • Call anytime, toll-free: 1-877-266-4357 (HELP)

  • Text 4help to 839863 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Support Groups:

Physical Therapy

APTA Alaska Physical Therapy Community Clinic is a pro-bono (free) physical therapy clinic whose mission is to provide quality physical therapy services to all individuals in Alaska, regardless of financial limitations or insurance status, in order to improve the health and wellness of the Alaska community. Click here for more information. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, have questions, or would like to make a donation, call 1-302-570-2578 (AKPT) or email communityclinic@alaskapt.org.

Public Assistance

Anchorage’s public assistance office is located in the University Center (3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 131). The office lobby is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up and drop off applications and information. Drop boxes are checked daily. Due to the public health emergency, the office is currently closed for in-person service.

Public Assistance Virtual Contact Center: Call 800-478-7778 or send an email to hss.dpa.offices@alaska.gov.

Senior and Disability Services

Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC): ADRCs help seniors, people living with disabilities, and caregivers access long-term care services and supports in their communities. For assistance, call toll-free 1-855-565-2017 or visit the statewide ADRC website to find the center in your area. (The Municipal of Anchorage runs the Anchorage-area center.)

SeniorHousingNet: SeniorHousingNet provides a list of senior living communities in Anchorage (and elsewhere), as well as a guide to senior living in Alaska.

Support Groups

General mental health support groups:

Eating disorder support groups:

Tax Preparation Assistance

The United Way of Anchorage provides free tax preparation assistance by appointment only. To make an appointment, call 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221. 2-1-1 is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can also book an appointment online. (Click “Change Location” right above the map to find Anchorage locations.)

Unemployment Benefits

Apply for unemployment benefits through myAlaska.