07 Apr A Final Helping Hand

CITC’s Burial Assistance program provides support for grieving families

Last September, Financial Assistance Manager Antoinette Horn’s team worked with a mother who’d just lost her son and her husband within six months of each other.

“She’d had a hard year,” Antoinette recalled. “But she knew, from her husband, that she could come here and we’d provide the same support for her son. Although it was a sad process, that relief was still given to her.”

Antoinette’s team runs CITC’s Burial Assistance program, a resource for individuals or families who need financial assistance in the wake of losing a loved one. The program offers up to $2,100 toward the cost of funeral expenses and an additional $400 for a memorial potlatch, should the family want to have one.

Last year, by September, the program had already helped close to 70 families put their loved ones to rest. It was a particularly high number, and Antoinette speculated as to why that might be.

“We’ve seen a lot of alcoholism and death due to drug use,” she described. “We’ve seen a lot of younger individuals pass away. But it’s also the elderly—that population is decreasing, and that’s natural.”

Whatever the reason, Burial Assistance is here to ease the financial burden of putting a family member to rest and to help families navigate the funeral industry, as well as the State requirements for applying for additional burial funding. (The State of Alaska also provides up to $1,250 for funeral expenses.)

Antoinette knows firsthand how difficult it can be for a family to negotiate confusing paperwork and requirements when they’re also actively grieving. A few years ago, she lost her brother, who passed away in Texas. While the process of applying for assistance in Texas is different than in Alaska, doing so gave Antoinette a better understanding of what her clients go through.

“Trying to help my mom navigate through that whole process was eye-opening—I’m glad people don’t have to experience that here. I know [CITC] makes it a lot easier for the families.”

CITC’s funding for a memorial potlatch or wake is a unique aspect of the Burial Assistance program—one that both recognizes the importance of saying goodbye to a loved one and of honoring cultural tradition, as well.

“I think it recognizes [a family’s] traditions and community and the importance of not only helping them through the process of the burial, but also to be able to give them a celebration of life,” Antoinette said.

Individuals seeking burial assistance are typically referred to CITC by local funeral homes, by Native corporations, or through requests from the city of Anchorage. However, families can also self-refer, coming directly to CITC for assistance. The program is needs-based and reserved for relatives of deceased Alaska Native and American Indian people in the absence of other resources.

Staff meet with families in person for a brief conversation to better understand their funeral-related needs. Sometimes, when the team sits down with a family and starts asking about their lives, they discover additional ways to help. The team refers families to other CITC programs and helps them apply for services that meet their needs.

While losing someone is never easy, CITC’s Burial Assistance program hopes to make the process less burdensome through assistance to individuals like Kimberly Gregory, who lost her relative last year.

“I’m really, really thankful for the assistance from CITC,” she said. “They were easy to work with and had a quick response to the situation.”

If you have lost a family member and need financial assistance, contact the Burial Assistance program today at (907) 793-3300 or elg@citci.org. Learn more about CITC’s Financial Assistance for individuals and families at citci.org/assistance.