Alaska VOA Kinship Care: Support Services for Relative Caregivers
Before you spend hours on hold with DPA, there's an organization that exists specifically to help grandparents and relatives raising someone else's child in Alaska. Volunteers of America Alaska runs a statewide kinship care program that provides case management, emergency relief, and respite — and you don't need a court order or foster license to use it.
What VOA Kinship Care Provides
Case management: A VOA case manager helps you identify which benefits you're eligible for, assists with application paperwork, and advocates on your behalf when you hit roadblocks with agencies. This is hands-on navigation, not a hotline.
Emergency financial relief: When immediate needs arise — food, fuel, winter clothing — VOA can provide limited emergency financial assistance. This isn't a monthly stipend, but it can bridge the gap while longer-term benefits process.
Respite care: Raising a child you didn't plan for is physically exhausting, especially for older caregivers. VOA coordinates respite services so you can take a break without worrying about the child's care.
Support groups and peer connection: VOA connects kinship caregivers with others in the same situation. Isolation is one of the most common complaints from grandparents raising grandchildren, and a peer network can make a real difference.
Who Can Use It
Both informal and formal relative caregivers qualify. You don't need guardianship papers, a foster license, or an OCS case. If you're a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative raising a child in Alaska, VOA's program is open to you.
The Family Caregiver Support Program
The state also funds the Family Caregiver Support Program under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, which serves grandparents and other older relatives aged 55 or older caring for children under 18. It is delivered through local National Family Caregiver Support Program grantees and provides respite care, caregiver training, support groups, and supplemental emergency gap funds. These are direct support services and respite stipends, not monthly cash grants.
Alaska's Division of Senior and Disabilities Services coordinates these programs. If you're 55 or older and raising a grandchild, you may be eligible for both VOA services and the Title III-E caregiver support.
Free Download
Get the Alaska Kinship Benefits Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
The Alaska Center for Resource Families
Another key resource is the Alaska Center for Resource Families (ACRF), reachable at 800-478-7307. Funded through a grant from OCS, ACRF provides training, guardianship information, peer support groups, and navigation help for foster parents, legal guardians, and relative kinship caregivers across the state.
How to Connect
- VOA Alaska Kinship Care: voaak.org or contact your nearest VOA Alaska office
- ACRF: 800-478-7307 or acrf.org
- Family Caregiver Support: Contact a National Family Caregiver Support Program grantee or the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services
Our Alaska Kinship Financial Help guide includes a verified contact directory for these organizations alongside the state benefit programs, so you have every resource in one place.
Get Your Free Alaska Kinship Benefits Checklist
Download the Alaska Kinship Benefits Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.