Valley Residential Services: The demand continues to grow

A nonprofit organization dedicated to housing people with special needs is at the forefront of growing demand in the area.

In its 26th year of operation, Valley Residential Services has helped put safe, affordable roofs over the heads of individuals and families who have physical or mental disabilities, are homeless, seniors, or simply in need of affordable housing. VRS President and CEO John Weaver has overseen extensive demand-driven growth in the 20-plus years he’s been with the organization.

When he started, VRS had about 100 housing units in its inventory. By the end of this year, that number will be closer to 700 units, Weaver said. But even that won’t keep pace with demand.

“The demand is still growing,” Weaver said. “The Valley is fast-growing, but the need is greater than the inventory.”

Occupancy across all VRS properties is consistently around 90-95 percent, and a housing wait list is kept of around 100 additional requests for housing.

A March grant for $400,000 from the Mat-Su Health Foundation is helping to fill that need. It is being put to use at the new Breezy Meadows development on Scott Road in Palmer, where foundations are laid and framed buildings await roof trusses for 32 new two- and three-bedroom units that are expected to be ready to move in next spring and summer.

Described as “workforce housing” by Weaver, Breezy Meadows is designed for working individuals and families with low-wage jobs. The new units will be added to 40 already occupied at the complex.

Breezy Meadows joins two other developments – Winter Rose, near the intersection of Trunk and Bogard roads; and Joey’s Safe Harbor, on Old Matanuska Road, near Wal-Mart and the Extreme Fun Center in Wasilla – as the newest VRS workforce housing projects.

The recent grant puts the total amount of Mat-Su Health Foundation funding to VRS near $5 million. That kind of investment in local health and wellness is nothing new for the nonprofit Health Foundation. Since 2007, when it became part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the Foundation has returned more than $140 million of its share of hospital profits to the community through sponsorships, scholarships, and grants to other nonprofits.

Cook Inlet Housing, Pacific Companies, and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation have also been big supporters of VRS, providing the lion’s share of construction costs. Weaver said the Mat-Su Health Foundation funding helps fill the gaps that remain.

“We never have enough,” he said. “If we didn’t have the Foundation, we wouldn’t be able to fill those gaps. We’re almost there, but not quite over the goal line.”

Weaver estimated that funding for workforce housing has sparked a construction boom that exceeds $100 million. That’s more than just charity. It’s also a lot of local jobs.

In addition to putting people to work, the funding has provided warm, safe, stable housing for people who might not otherwise have it.

“These are folks who are putting their lives back together and getting a foot on the ground,” Weaver said. “We provide the basic element of stability – a place to call home.”

FIND OUT MORE

https://valleyres.org