Youth Alaska Action Board on Housing and Homelessness (YAABHH)
Our Mission. The YAABHH (pronounced yab) self-organizes to ensure that young people with lived experience are valued voices and leaders. We advocate for Alaskan communities, homeless services, and housing to be safe, stable, and equitable, and to create pathways for young people to have accessible resources and affordable housing.
Who We Are. YAABHH is a group of all backgrounds: Indigenous, Black, and Queer all with a lived experience of homelessness and unstable housing. All of us have a vast array of different hobbies, expertise, and outlooks that are brought to the table and shared.
YAABHH Background
2017. Anchorage’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) began and the Anchorage Youth Task Force (AYTF) - funded by the Anchorage CoC - was founded. AYTF championed authentic youth engagement in Anchorage, even when ignored by organizations. Eventually, their insistence in participating in systems and projects paid off.
2018. The 2018 rank and review was the first to include youth leaders in its process in Alaska.
2019. The statewide Youth Alaska Action Board on Housing and Homelessness (YAABHH) was formed, as the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness was granted the YHDP funding. From there, new youth action boards began in the Matanuska-Susitna and Southeast regions of Alaska.
2020. Regional youth action boards engaged in YHDP strategic planning meetings, and established an unorthodox yet effective structure for YHDP implementation across the state throughout that year.
2021-2022. The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed nearly everyone, but we didn’t stay down for long. The following year, by the effort of the few remaining members, the YAABHH reassembled and recruited new members, hitting the ground running with community outreach and engagement with service providers.
2023 to present. Now the YAABHH meets every week, frequently travels towards Homer and Fairbanks, and works to revitalize the Southeast Youth Action Board.
YAABHH Calendar
Wednesdays (weekly): Team Meetings 4:30-6 PM AKST on Discord
Thursdays (Weekly): Game Night 6-7 PM AKST on Discord
YAABHH Socials
YAABHH Contact Information
Email Evie, YAABHH Communications Coordinator
Email Aria, YAABHH Grants Director
Email Royal, YAABHH Data Team Lead
Email Foot, YAABHH Team Lead