Arctic Women In Crisis Provides 24 Hour Support Across North Slope

Arctic Women In Crisis, based in Utqiagvik, offers continuous emergency shelter and a 24 hour crisis line to residents of the North Slope Borough who experience domestic violence and sexual assault. The organization provides trauma informed counseling, a Domestic Violence Education Program, parenting classes, and in school prevention education while maintaining staffed safe homes in each village. AWIC advocates travel regularly to villages to reach people who face geographic isolation and limited local services.

The program also connects residents with statewide resources including the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Violent Crimes Compensation Board, the Alaska Office of Victims Rights, Start Your Recovery for substance use treatment options, and the Stalking Resource Center at the National Center for Victims of Crime. In addition, the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault runs a free legal information and referral hotline for Alaskan victims. The hotline operates every two weeks and is answered by experienced attorneys, with call in information available online.

AWIC reports physical accessibility for people with disabilities and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring equitable access to shelter, safety, food, emergency transportation, case management, legal advocacy, and the support of trained advocates. Those services are intended to remove practical obstacles that often prevent survivors from seeking help, such as limited transportation options, lack of private shelter space in small communities, and legal confusion.

For local economies and public safety, the presence of continuous support services matters beyond immediate protection. Stable housing and counseling can improve workforce participation and reduce long term costs in health and social services. Regular outreach to villages supports school based prevention that can lower future social harms and reinforce community efforts to sustain cultural and spiritual health alongside economic resilience. The North Slope Borough emphasizes work with tribes, cities, corporations, schools, and businesses to encourage healthy lifestyles and support families, and AWIC is one of the borough services that advances that mission.

Residents can contact Arctic Women In Crisis through Program Coordinator Virginia Walsh at 5125 Herman Street, Utqiagvik, Alaska 99723, by phone at (907) 852 0261, or by fax at (907) 852 2474. Additional information is available through the North Slope Borough website at north-slope.org under behavioral health services.