ABOUT US
Fairbanks HopeLink (FHL) Emergency Warming Center is a low-barrier, after-hours, warm location for individuals to utilize during cold winter nights. Our goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
The HopeLink Warming Center is open nightly from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM through April. Our staff and volunteers are dedicated to making a difference in our community by providing a warm place to rest and connect with available resources.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Heidi Shepard
Heidi currently serves as the board chair. She is a lifelong Alaskan and loves the community of kindness and respect that Fairbanks embodies. She believes in the mission of Hopelink and wants to see all our neighbors warm through the winter, regardless of where they are in their journey. She works full time for the Alaska Center for Energy and Power.
Jennifer Jolis
Jennifer is a long time Fairbanksan with a checkered career, but one that has always revolved around working with people. Most notably she was a VISTA in Alaska (twice), Executive Director of Bread Line, and Meetings and Conventions Manager at Explore Fairbanks. As is said in the words of a past Bread Line director, "See a need, fill a need." Called to action by the death of Charles Ahkiviana from the cold in December 2022, she decided it should not have happened and it should not happen again -- thus, the founding HopeLink board was established.
Brenda Riley
Savannah Fletcher
Savannah Fletcher is a founding member of Fairbanks HopeLink. She lives in Fairbanks with her husband and son, works as a civil rights attorney, and serves on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. Savannah believes in the power of community and everyone’s right to be warm, and she is proud to put that belief to action by working with the HopeLink team.
Trista Crass
Abby Waldorf
Abby moved to Fairbanks in 2019 and has worked a variety of food jobs around town. Currently, she's the Stone Soup Cafe manager at Bread Line. Her work is rooted in equity & human rights and she joined the HopeLink board because she believes that every one of our neighbors is entitled to safety from the cold. Abby lives in a dry cabin with her orange cat and enjoys cooking, knitting, and playing roller derby.