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Supported by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education
of the U.S. Department of Education
Nine Star Enterprises
Highlights
Introduction
Background
Nine Star and Its Partners
Partnerships with Adult Education Providers
The Gateway Learning Center
Partnerships with State and Workforce Development Agencies
Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations
Callenges and Plans for the Future
Conclusion
Complete Profile (PDF, 270kb)
Return to Summary

NINE STAR AND ITS PARTNERS
The Gateway Learning Center

The Gateway Learning Center is located in a housing complex in Anchorage, home to a population that is mainly low-income and transient. Some 50-80 percent of residents there move every year. The Learning Center is a collaboration among Nine Star, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), multiple social service agencies, volunteers, and the residents themselves. Nine Star provides staff (paid and volunteer) for the center. The facilities, extremely clean and well organized, bring multiple services directly to clients and their families. The center offers adult basic education and GED preparation classes in addition to an open, supervised computer lab for adults and young people. Grants and donations have brought in brand-new computers, learning software, and books. Other services are offered to support resident families in reaching their goal of self-sufficiency, including:

  • The Homework Club. Children living at the complex can come after school or during the evening to work on homework and enjoy enrichment activities, building skills in art, social interaction, and computer technology.

  • On-site case management. The Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Assistance (DPA) trains and supports case managers so that services are available on site. In fact, the GED instructor, an employee of Nine Star, is a trained case manager and also oversees the Homework Club.

  • Employment-readiness services. A range of workshops, classes, and support helps residents search and prepare for work. For example, Skills for Life is a youth employment program focused on work-readiness skills and provided by the Alaska Youth and Parent Foundation. The center also offers vocational testing, women’s finance work shops, job search assistance, and other types of support from the University of Alaska, the YWCA, the Educational Opportunity Center, and the Alaska Youth and Family Network.

LEARNING AND SAVING
The Gateway Learning Center offers a unique support program for residents. Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is a voluntary program designed to promote economic self-sufficiency. Heads of household who join the program choose an employment goal and receive a combination of referrals for education, job training, counseling, and other assistance in finding employment. A special FSS case manager works with the family on completing an action plan. As the family’s income rises and money becomes available for savings, FSS matches accrued savings with funds provided by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and invests the money for the family in an interest-bearing escrow account. When the family has achieved self-sufficiency and remained off public assistance for twelve consecutive months, they are given the invested money. Roughly 260 families participate in this program each year.