[Back on their feet: Family of seven was homeless until this program came along<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Since then, the City and Borough of Juneau ($1.8 million<\/a>), Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority ($350,000), Bartlett Regional Hospital ($250,000), Premera Blue Cross ($250,000) and a few other organizations have donated to the cause, Lovishchuk said, bringing the fundraising total to about $5.8 million. She’s especially excited to see new donors in the medical field (BRH and Premera Blue Cross) pledging their support.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I think it really demonstrates that the project is contributing to better outcomes for patients and more efficient delivery of care,” Lovishchuk said. “That’s really wonderful to get the donations from them. It really shows that they believe in the project because they saw how it worked in phase one.”<\/p>\n Maria Lovishchuk, Executive Director of the Glory Hole, left, Jeannette Lacey, a board member of the Housing First Collaborative, and Dacia Davis, program manager, right, give a tour of the finished Housing First Project on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t People can donate through the Juneau Community Foundation<\/a>, Lovishchuk said, by specifically requesting that their donations go to Housing First.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The University of Alaska Fairbanks conducted a study<\/a> to compile statistics specifically about the residents of Housing First and their usage of emergency care. Prior to living in Housing First, according to the study, the residents of the facility visited the emergency room 360 times in the six months prior to moving in. In the six months after moving in, they went to the emergency room 97 times (a decrease of 73 percent).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Maria](\"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/17065778_web1_170919Housing_First002.jpg\")
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