A residential treatment center in Mountain View is expanding its program to help more Alaskans who are homeless, drug addicts and former prison inmates.
Chanlyut, Athabascan for “New Beginnings,” was started by Cook Inlet Tribal Council back in 2007 to help men become productive members of society by using life skills rather than therapy.
Stancer Hall, 36, is one of more than a 100 men who have gone through the program. Hall, a former drug addict, has been with Chanlyut for nearly three years.
“I hit rock bottom, I was going nowhere, living on the streets,” said Hall.
Residents work for room and board at one of the Chanlyut’s businesses, which include the Mountain View Diner, a landscaping service, janitorial service and a moving company.
Hall says a structured environment and life skills gave him a new start.
“It’s helped me live a life I always wanted but didn’t know how to get,” he said.
Chanlyut is looking to have more success stories like Hall’s with the help of a brand new 7,000 square foot facility. It expands the program from 20 to 50 men.
“We had so many people that I wasn’t capable of accepting all the time,” said Bill Tsurnos, executive director of Chanlyut. “We were at capacity and I would have to turn away people and I hated to do that.”
The building offers a full size kitchen, dining room, and a future computer room for residents.
“You have to be comfortable and feel safe where you’re at or you’re really not going to learn to the best of your ability,” said Tsurnos.
It’s a privilege resident’s say worth working for, for a new life.
A dedication ceremony is planned for Friday, Dec. 9 at 3:30 p.m. at 3149 Mountain View Drive.
