|
Welcome to our new email newsletter! Our team is excited to launch this quarterly effort. Our goal at the Trust, as always, is to provide leadership in advocacy, planning, implementing, and funding of services for Trust beneficiaries. The initiatives and projects highlighted within are designed to reinforce that goal. This will be a key resource to build awareness of what we’re doing at the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and the Trust Land Office, and it will also give us the opportunity to highlight some of the great work being done by some of our grantees and partners.
What can you expect from this newsletter? We plan to use it to highlight some great initiatives that are being supported with Trust grant funds, promote awareness events, share news about recent Trust grant awards, feature highlights from the Trust Land Office and their work to generate revenues for the Trust, and a whole lot more.
Thanks for reading,
Steve Williams, CEO of the Trust
| |
Grant Highlight: SAIL’s Employment through Recreation for Transition-Age Youth | |
Trust partner Southeast Alaska Independent Living Center (SAIL) serves Trust beneficiaries in the Juneau and Southeast region with a variety of services, including recreational and pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) for beneficiary youth in collaboration with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), other state agencies, and community partners.
This summer, a $50,000 grant from the Trust supported the training and accreditation for recreational therapy support staff at SAIL allowing them to safely and effectively contract with DVR to help young beneficiaries engage in their community and develop skills critical for successful future employment. The development and practice of “soft skills” such as team building and social interaction aligns with strategies found within the Trust’s Beneficiary Employment and Engagement focus area, and is particularly effective for school-age beneficiaries. Participation and engagement in DVR services, such as Pre-ETS, prior to graduation is believed to increase graduation rates and encourage workforce participation for children and youth with disabilities after exiting school services.
Thanks to SAIL, DVR, and all the community partners who helped make this initiative successful!
Photo: Pre-ETS Summer Work Program participants. Photo courtesy of SAIL.
| | |
Disability Employment Awareness Month | |
For many Trust beneficiaries, work is viewed as an essential part of recovery for those with a serious mental illness or a disability. When Alaskans with disabilities are employed, they have the opportunity to contribute positively to their communities, pay taxes, and experience meaningful engagement that reduces isolation and promotes health and well-being. Further, employment is an essential part of recovery for many individuals with behavioral health disorders, offering positive impacts on life satisfaction, self-esteem, independence, and symptom reduction.
During National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we wanted to highlight the essential role employment plays in promoting positive health outcomes and the importance of inclusive employment practices to our workplaces and the economy.
You can read more about the Trust’s work in beneficiary employment, and find additional resources on our website.
| | | |
Trust Annual Fall Land Sale Auction | |
The Trust Land Office’s annual Fall Land Sale Auction is in full swing! The auction opened on September 13, and bids on available parcels will be accepted through November 27, 2023. Revenues generated from the sale of Trust lands go into the Mental Health Trust Fund, earnings from which support the Trust’s work on behalf of beneficiaries across the state. This year’s auction includes parcels in Interior, Southcentral, and Southeast Alaska that are conducive to a variety of uses such as recreational or commercial. Want to put in a bid, or know someone who might? You can learn more about our available parcels and how to participate on our Fall Land Sale webpage.
| | |
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
In July of 2022, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched nationwide as an easy-to-remember three-digit number that can be called 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you call or text 988 for yourself, or for a loved one, you will be connected to a highly trained and compassionate call center professional. The 988 Lifeline is free and confidential, with operators who treat callers with respect and listen without judgment.
The State Department of Health has some great resources with additional information and resources about 988 at 988.alaska.gov. Please help ensure that Alaskans know about this important resource for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, who is at risk of suicide, or who is struggling with emotional distress – spread the word about 988!
| |
| | |
Microenterprise Grants for Trust Beneficiaries
The Trust funds the microenterprise grant program that supports self-employment opportunities for beneficiaries. The Trust works in partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Human Development, which administers the program and provides business plan development support at no cost to applicants.
Trust microenterprise grant funds can be used for costs associated with starting a new business, expanding a current business, or acquiring an existing business. To be eligible for this program, a business must meet the definition of a microenterprise, which is a business with total capital needs of not more than $35,000 and fewer than five employees. The microenterprise grant program typically funds 20-25 Trust beneficiaries each year, and the types of businesses funded vary widely and have included hair salons, building trades, residential/commercial cleaning, and animal care services, as well as sales of art, crafts, and photography.
An applicant must be a Trust beneficiary, meaning that they experience a mental illness, substance use disorder, intellectual or developmental disability, Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, or a traumatic brain injury.
Grant applications are accepted twice a year. The next deadline is March 6, 2024.
| |
Photos by Fu Bao
Fu Bao is a microenterprise grantee from Juneau who has developed a business to sell his photography: Photos by Fu Bao. According to him, “taking photos has always been easier for me than other forms of art because of my disabilities. Photography is a fun way for me to make art.”
Fu Bao is also an athlete and Health Messenger with Special Olympics Alaska, a member of Peer Power Alaska – a group of self-advocates who experience disabilities, and is engaged with Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s ORCA program that offers a range of adaptive outdoor pursuits for all abilities. Want to know more about his work? visit: https://photosbyfubao.com.
Photo courtesy of Photos by Fu Bao.
| | |
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day | |
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, October 28th. Safely disposing of unneeded medication is an important step in preventing the potential misuse of and addiction to medications.
Collection sites are available for Alaskans looking to participate. Find the site nearest you by visiting the Drug Enforcement Administration website.
| | | | |
Our New Behavioral Health Crisis Response Map Tool Has Launched!
Want to see what behavioral health crisis system improvements are happening in communities across Alaska? Our new Behavioral Health Crisis Response Map Tool is for you.
You can also see the latest news related to the Trust's work with partners to transform behavioral health emergency response in Alaska in our latest Crisis Now update.
|
|
The next regular meeting of our board of trustees will be Nov. 15-16, 2023. All board meetings include an opportunity for public comments.
Visit our website for more information about upcoming trustee meetings.
To stay up-to-date on issues important to Trust beneficiaries you can also tune in to the meetings of our statutory partner boards:
|
|
Quarterly Grant Report Now Available Online | |
In the first fiscal quarter of FY24 the Trust awarded 31 grants totaling more than $3.3 million. These grants are a part of the Trust’s $20 million annual grant program supporting Alaskan organizations that serve Trust beneficiaries. This quarter's grant awards ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, and support capacity building, direct service, capital construction, training, and other projects impacting beneficiaries.
You can learn more about these recent grants in our latest Quarterly Grant Report, posted online.
|
| |
We're looking for qualified applicants to join the board of trustees
Do you want to help improve outcomes for Trust beneficiaries? The Trust is looking for qualified applicants to join its board of trustees. Applications are due Nov. 6, 2023. Visit our webpage to learn more.
| | | | | |
