Discovering Your Future

CVRF’s Internship Program

New Roofs Over Our Heads

CVRF’s Rural Housing Program

In the midst of the ongoing housing shortage in Western Alaska, CVRF has developed a reliable, reproducible process for helping residents in our communities to finance new homes. This enables us to assist program participants with the lengthy process of buying a home, including surveying the land and completing applications for loans and subsidies. In 2022, CVRF completed work on two houses now owned by RODERICK ATTI and CHERYL LINCOLN, who were happy to move into each of their new homes in December.

CVRF would like to thank the many partners involved in this process, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Nunakauiak Yup’ik Corporation (NYC), Nunakauyak Traditional Council (NTC), and other community organizations and members. This would not be possible without the collaboration and support of many individuals and groups committed to addressing the housing shortage.

Figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life is always a challenge for teens, especially in rural areas like Western Alaska. To provide our region’s youth with opportunities to explore new interests and develop professional skills, CVRF offers an annual internship program that includes training, mentorship, and education in an office environment. In the summer of 2022, CVRF brought on seven interns who earned $44,786.80 in total wages.

This program provided DESIREE CLEVELAND of Quinhagak with the flexibility needed to both build professional skills in communication, collaboration, and time management, while also participating in cultural and subsistence activities in the summer. Her experience led her to discover she loves working with youth and aspires to become a teacher. After she graduates from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, she plans to return to Western Alaska to teach math to high school students.