Upper Su Seniors

get housing funds

By AMY MENEREY-Frontiersman reporter

SUNSHINE -- New housing will soon be available for seniors in the upper Susitna Valley. Alaska Housing Finance Company this month awarded Upper Susitna Seniors Inc. funding for the construction of six senior housing units.

According to project coordinator Mae Tischer, the project has been on the drawing board for more than four years. The group received an Intent to Award letter on Feb. 3, Tischer said, and plans are being made to begin construction this summer.

Tischer said the AHFC funds approved by the Legislature would normally not be available to them until later in the fall, but USSI is getting first chance at unspent funds remaining in AHFC's budget from last year.

"In this case AHFC has some type of funds not spent and, thank goodness, we ranked first in competitiveness in applications for housing," Tischer said.

As soon as paperwork is complete, Tischer said, construction will begin on the project that will include six units -- four one-bedroom units, and two two-bedroom units. The housing units will be built next to the new senior senior center, located off the Parks Highway near the Talkeetna Spur Road. The senior center opened last summer.

Residents for the housing units will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis, Tischer said. Applicants will be placed on a wait list and will not be limited by income, she said. The units will be market-rate rentals available to seniors 60 years or older with any income level. This will allow seniors with a high income or property owners, as well as those who are on some type of assistance, a chance at the housing.

"If you own something in some programs you can't get in," Tischer said. "We decided a long time ago we didn't want to have those restrictions on our neighbors and our friends."

This year's construction is the first phase of a larger plan for seniors in the Sunshine area, Tischer said. The second phase will be demand-driven, she said.

"If these units fill up and there's a demand for them, we'll work on building more," Tischer said. It could be built several years into the future, she said, or one or two years from now.

"An awful lot of things are happening up in this area," Tischer said. "People are still moving into this area by leaps and bounds."

All of the units will be barrier-free. Seniors 60 years or older can apply at USSI. For couples, one spouse must be at least 60 years old. Seniors in need of rent assistance may apply individually through AHFC's Assisted Housing program. For more information about the housing program call Tischer at 495-6801 or USSI at 733-6200. For information about AHFC's Assisted Housing program, call Martha Blanchard at AHFC in Wasilla at 376-5744.