Warrior Partnership works to meet the needs of veterans

There are 80,000 veterans living around Alaska, and a large percentage of them call the Mat-Su home. Despite their service and sacrifice, many of them fall through the social services cracks as they age and their needs become greater.

The support structure for active duty military and their families in Alaska is extensive and well-knit. But that structure becomes disjointed and difficult to navigate when service members become veterans.

A growing nonprofit organization has taken up the cause of making sure these vets are aware of all the resources available to them. The Alaska Warrior Partnership is committed to improving Alaska veterans’ quality of life through the coordination of local services and opportunities.

Jessy Lakin, program lead for the Warrior Partnership, said whether it be housing or employment, health care, recreation, or even just enrollment in VA benefits, the organization’s goal is to ensure access to quality resources. That’s done largely by working with others.

“We have 247 partners all across the state,” Lakin said. “Nonprofits, for-profits, state agencies, all working together for veterans.”

After three veterans froze to death three years winters ago, a winter preparedness project was launched. The program attracted the interest of the Mat-Su Health Foundation, which funded the effort to service more vets and ensure their winter needs were met.

Emergency firewood was provided to some, snow removal services to others, and all received a measure of camaraderie that softened the often harsh and loneliness-inducing effects of winter in Alaska. That initiative continues this year, Lakin said.

“We’re already servicing vets with firewood before winter hits,” he said. “We’re hoping to reach our goal of 100 veterans this winter.”

A new grant this year from the Mat-Su Health Foundation is helping to lighten Lakin’s load. The Warrior Partnership was awarded a $49,610 grant in April to hire a Mat-Su region-dedicated outreach specialist to help the organization connect with more veterans and raise awareness of the organization’s programs in the Valley. To that end, Lakin hired Tiana Freeman. Freeman hit the ground running.

“There was definitely a need in the Mat-Su. It was taking up most of our time,” he said. “This is a way for us to be hyper-focused on the location most in need.”

Lakin acknowledged that the needed extra capacity would not have been possible without the assistance of the Mat-Su Health Foundation, which has distributed more than $130 million in grants to nonprofits around the borough since 2008. As part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the health foundation has been able to channel a significant amount of its profits from the hospital back into the community, while working to ensure the hospital continues to meet the needs of the fastest growing area of the state.

“The health foundation brings so much to this community. They really care,” Lakin said. “They help us accomplish our goals, but they hold us accountable, too. They’re good stewards of the grants.”

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www.alaskawarriorpartnership.org