Valley church trying to find housing solutions for region

PALMER — It’s no secret that the Mat-Su continues to lead Alaska in population growth.

In addition to resulting in various infrastructure bottlenecks and traffic issues, affordable housing is also a pressing concern, according to at least one group hoping to make an impact.

Richard Clinch, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palmer, said the church’s local organizing ministry will host an Aug. 7 public meeting to address housing concerns throughout the Mat-Su Borough and particularly concerns with the sometimes lengthy waitlists associated with housing vouchers. Clinch said the church became aware of the issue after members became aware of congregation members facing problems.

“We had three members facing housing issues. That was the impetus, what kicked us off,” Clinch said. “We thought that if this small of a church has a problem, it has to be bigger.”

Clinch, who is also a ministry member, said Trinity Lutheran is part of the 13-church Valley Interfaith Action (VIA) organization. He said discussion among those members led the group to put housing issue on the radar. According to a Trinity Lutheran Church statement on the issue, population in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has grown almost 76 percent since the 2000 census. The church said the housing voucher waitlist continues to grow with its population.

“We talked to different people in the community and housing—affordable housing, is an issue,” Clinch said. “During our discussions with different people, we found waiting lists as long as four years.”

Clinch said the group started talking with Valley non-profits such as the Mat-Su Homeless Coalition hoping to get a better handle on the topic. He said the process has been ongoing for about the past 1 1/2 years but LOM members kicked things into high gear about six months ago.

“We want to come up with solutions that can ease that length of time,” said Clinch. “As a Christian church, we have an obligation our people, our church, and our community.”

To help facilitate that change, Clinch said the LOM has invited Cathy Stone and John Sperbeck of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC). According to the group, the two will both hear community concerns and respond to questions. Clinch said Monday evening’s meeting will include a report put together by the LOM documenting the need to help alleviate the problem. Also scheduled is public testimony and a discussion on alternatives to how housing vouchers are currently offered.

The Monday session is expected to last an hour beginning at 7 p.m. The church is located at 10355 East Palmer Wasilla Highway in Palmer.

Trinity Lutheran’s local organizing ministry is a member of VIA, a faith-based community organization founded in 2015. According to its website, its purpose is to empower and mobilize faith communities to address quality of life issues affecting their community.

More information can be found at www.valleyinterfaithaction.org