Tag: Solutions Desk
When traditional banking isn’t an option, try this out instead
Let’s say you want to start a business or buy a house. You’ll probably need a loan from a bank. That means you need a good credit history or collateral – something to prove that you’ll pay it back. But if that’s not an option… then what?
Guiding peers on the path to recovery from addiction
The path to recovery from drug or alcohol addiction can be long, arduous, and isolating. Now people in the Mat-Su Valley have a new place to start the journey -- and guides to help them along the way.
Can a liquor store help a community solve alcohol-related problems?
Alcohol abuse is an issue throughout the country, even in areas where it's illegal. Banning alcohol doesn't always solve the problem, so should communities try swinging the other way and make it more available? Could opening a liquor store help a community, not harm it? The village of Kiana is finding out – and reviews are mixed.
Ironworkers help men prep for life outside of Goose Creek Correctional Center
At Goose Creek Correctional Center near Wasilla, inmates can learn the basic concepts of welding using simulators, but until recently they haven't been allowed access to real welding machines. Listen now
Turning a temporary stay into long-term stability, 30 days at a time
Emergency shelters are supposed to be supportive safe havens. But in Fairbanks, it was a little too supportive. So staff developed a new plan for pushing people out the door by helping them stand on their own feet.
Drawing on historical strengths to prevent problems in the future
When rural Alaska makes the headlines, the focus is often on things like suicide rates, alcohol use, and trauma. But one project in southwest Alaska shifts attention to strengths instead. Qungasvik was developed by Yup'ik people, for Yup'ik people and is proving to be an effective way to help youth in parts of southwest Alaska thrive.
Kiana youth turn boring meetings into lifelong skills
Young people make all of the decisions to put together a multi-day conference in Kiana. Though some of the meetings for OPT In Kiana may not seem fun, they have lifelong effects on the young people and their abilities to face challenges.
After a tragedy, a Yup’ik dance group in Hooper Bay keeps dancing
Yup'ik dancing has helped people connect and heal for centuries. It can't prevent all tragedies, but this Hooper Bay group shows that it can help.
To prevent suicide, little words can make a big difference
When thinking about suicide, sometimes just a few words of reassurance can make a huge difference. Here's one man's story.
Building resilience through basketballs and berries
What makes a healthy community? What makes young people in an Alaska village thrive? Here's the formula that's working well for Noatak, in the Northwest Arctic.
Changing the mindset of the healthcare system
For most healthcare systems, mental health and physical health are two separate issues. Not at one of the largest healthcare providers in Alaska, where doctors and behavioral health consultants work together with a new mindset.
Achieving wellness through Medicaid expansion
Andi Riley needed medical help, but even though she was working, she couldn't afford it. Until there was Medicaid expansion. It was her solution for wellness.
Preventing suicide with strength and resilience
Suicide rates for Alaska Native youth are still high -- but groups are actively working to change that. Community members and researchers are focusing on the strengths of Alaska Native peoples and cultures to reduce the risk and promote wellness. Listen now
What it takes to respond to a mental health crisis
If someone breaks their arm or twists an ankle, we generally know what to do – brace it and get help. But what if someone is hurting mentally instead of physically? A bandage won’t help, but a Mental Health First Aid class will.
Mixing science with traditional knowledge, researchers hope to get seal oil on the menu
The traditional foods movement in Alaska is growing. Moose and caribou are appearing on menus at healthcare facilities across the state. But there's an important food that still needs approval -- seal oil. A long-sought solution is in the works.
To feed elders, traditional foods take untraditional route
Traditional foods are healthier, but for a long time, federal regulations prevented elders in care facilities from accessing them. A team in Kotzebue worked to change that. Here's how.
Dion isn’t homeless. This is why it matters.
Dion Wynne was hospitalized and couldn't work, but received enough help to keep his housing. His success isn't just important for his family -- it helps everyone. Now advocates are working to make the homeless prevention system less cumbersome.
In some cases, houses of worship step in to help people keep their homes
Thousands of Alaskans seek rental assistance every year. Sometimes, preventing homelessness requires an act of faith.
When homelessness is around the corner, even the helpers can become helpless
Dion Wynne was working full-time and preparing to open a therapeutic foster home. Then he fell ill and was hospitalized for over a month. Join him as he tries to save his home -- and his dreams.
When preschoolers meet Pioneers, both benefit
Loneliness and isolation can be a big problem for seniors in Alaska. Many older people are often far away from family members, and kids are far away from their grandparents. In Sitka, the local Pioneer Home for seniors has found a solution for both problems: housing a local preschool right next door.