The Project

Chanlyut is a residential, vocational, and educational program in Anchorage that offers a new beginning for men who are facing the serious challenges of addiction, homelessness, and/or reentering society after incarceration. While Chanlyut provides culturally responsive services for Alaska Natives (who comprise a highly disproportionate number in justice and substance abuse treatment programs in Alaska), it is open to all individuals who feel that they have hit bottom and want to rebuild their lives. Although Chanlyut is currently a male-only initiatiave, it will expand to include women at a later date. 

Chanlyut is modeled after the successful Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco and is built upon the belief that change can take place from the outside – in. By behaving as successful, positive, contributing members of society, our residents become just that. This notion is thousands of years old—Aristotle also believed that people “acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way... you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.” 

We also believe that this change takes time; recovery is a lifelong process. Chanlyut provides a community environment in which residents develop the skills they need to make meaningful changes in their lives, without professional staff or counselors.  However, Chanlyut does have paid 24/7 staff on site to ensure good role modeling and to provide rigid structure for the program.

Chanlyut Expectations

• Residents will request to live at Chanlyut and undergo a rigorous interview process to be selected;
• Residents commit to living in the program for a minimum of two years in order to develop and refine their knowledge, skills, and experiences;
• Residents will learn to care—care for themselves, for others, and for community; and
• The three “rules” for Chanlyut are:
• No violence,
• No threats, and
• No alcohol or drug use.

Any violation of these rules will result in immediate dismissal from the program. 

Chanlyut is zoned for having felons and misdemeanants as a condition of probation or parole, but is not a CRC or state-approved residential substance abuse treatment program.  Chanlyut can accurately be described as sober support, but is also a behavior modification program designed to address the issues of those who have not been responsive to traditional treatment programs. Chanlyut will immediately notify the court and probation of violations of probation/parole terms, and works closely with DOC in regard to probationers and parolees.

What does Chanlyut provide?

• Community/family style living
• Room, board and clothing
• Life skills training
• Individualized educational services
• Vocational training in at least 3 core areas
• Hands-on work experience through business training schools, learning through doing
• Community involvement and service
• Financial skills-building
• Linkage with medical services
• Empowerment for residents to solve their problems with their own solutions

Project Location

With a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC) purchased property for Chanlyut at 4119 Mountain View Drive. The Mountain View neighborhood was selected because of its suitability for this initiative, its active neighborhood revitalization, the cultural diversity of the area, as well as its potential for economic growth. The Chanlyut property is zoned for both business and residential use. It also needed extensive renovation, and Chanlyut has received designated legislative grant monies from the State of Alaska to both improve the existing structure and to build a new structure. 

Chanlyut’s success is dependent upon the residents investing in and taking ownership of improving their home and contributing to their community as they improve their lives. Therefore, Chanlyut residents participated in all aspects of the renovation and construction as part of their training/work experience. The “sweat equity” that went into building their new home taught the residents valuable work skills. More than that, these new concrete, wood and plaster walls replace their old walls of addiction, failure and hopelessness. 

The new structure built on the Chanlyut property houses residents and some of the entrepreneurial training schools. Construction of this new facility was completed in the fall of 2007. Chanlyut has a capacity of 20 residents.

Chanlyut has diverged from the Delancey Street model in one way; paid staff provides the leadership to our residents. Staff members are experienced with Delancey Street— Director William Tsurnos, ran the New Mexico location for six years. As a result, a staff member accompanies residents or senior resident when leaving the premises for work, and are required to sign in and out of the facility at all times. No one is allowed to go anywhere by themselves until they reach very senior status. At the end of the program, residents undergo a ‘work-out’ period in which they work outside of the Chanlyut enterprises and save money for their eventual graduation.

The Future

CITC expects Chanlyut to continue to grow and thrive. Micro-enterprise training schools under consideration include landscaping and snow removal, moving, craft trades, light maintenance and carpentry, bookstore and cafe, and/or other businesses to be identified by Chanlyut residents and the Chanlyut Board of Directors— responding to the identified needs of the Mountain View neighborhood and the Anchorage community.