Church study finds shortage of affordable housing in region

PALMER — After collecting data from a number of sources—including Mat-Su nonprofit and state agencies, Trinity Lutheran Church’s Local Organizing Ministry discovered the Valley’s affordable housing supply is insufficient.

The group conducted an Aug. 7 meeting in Palmer where members reviewed a recently compiled report showing that there is sometimes up to a four-year wait before adequate housing is found. Church member Richard Clinch said the church congregation and community members determined that the Valley’s housing instability was a concern.

To find out more information, the group contacted a number of Mat-Su based agencies that work with homeless and/or unstably-housed families and individuals. Included were: Blood and Fire Ministry, Family Practice, Knik House, Mat-Su Coalition of Housing and Homelessness, MyHouse and Valley Residential Services. The group also met several times with Alaska Housing Finance Corporation representatives in both Wasilla and Anchorage. Included in the Anchorage sessions were Catherine Stone, director of public housing, and John Sperbeck, regional manager.

According to its website, AHFC was formed in 1986 with a main mission of providing affordable loans to public housing programs, among other programs. A self-supporting public corporation, it maintains offices in 16 communities across the state.

The report revealed that since 2000, the Valley’s population has increased 70 percent from just over 59,000 to more than 101,000. Despite the marked increase, the report stated that AHFC’s staffing has not increased in the same time frame. Current numbers showed the Wasilla AHFC office assists 510 Mat-Su families with housing-related issues monthly. The report said the four Wasilla staffers assist an average of 170 families each month.

Clinch said the report showed a major difference in how AHFC’s Anchorage and Wasilla programs operate. The Wasilla office uses a wait list to assist needy families, according to the report. It explained that Anchorage transitioned to a lottery system in 2014 not only to ease workers’ caseload, but also to provide clarity to persons who applied.

The report said AHFC’s Anchorage staff was also overburdened by a long wait list prior to moving to the lottery system it now uses. The report stated because of the long wait, the Anchorage office researched what other communities were doing to better manage their own related programs.

“The current waitlist system is a preference-based point system which moves people in front of others, depending on certain categories, leaving a large block of people at the end of the waiting list for years with no expectation of ever moving up the list,” Stone said about the Anchorage wait list prior to the move to the current lottery-based system.

“People we’ve spoken with feel that the ‘wait list’ is hopeless,” said Clinch, referring to the church group’s findings. “Many give up or move away before ever receiving housing.”

Under the lottery system, residents in need of housing are invited to apply during a one-month application period. The report stated applicants are selected to receive a housing voucher. When the list of available housing is exhausted, another lottery is started up. Unsuccessful applicants must reapply for each lottery which, the report said, ensures request lists are current.

The report stated after implementation of the new program, the AHFC Anchorage office discovered a decreased workload while, at the same time, those applying for housing assistance were better served.

“(The lottery) is more fair, so people know where they are on the list and can expect that their number will be called in a certain order,” Stone said of the lottery system’s benefit.

The report came up with several conclusions. One is that the Wasilla AHFC office’s staffing level must be evaluated. It said the office’s static growth in those assisting with housing needs also needs to keep up with population growth of the Mat-Su. That growth is expected to continue at a 1.5-2 percent clip for the foreseeable future. The second, the report stated, is that AHFC needs to transition its Valley program to match that of Anchorage.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com