“You can finally see some of the changes.” Construction of Carson-Cottle Center in full swing

Construction has been going strong this summer on the new Carson-Cottle Center in Wasilla, which will serve as a community hub, due to both its location and the nature of the services provided.

Ground was broken last year for the center that will serve as a new facility for MyHouse, specifically providing youth housing and work services, and training areas, along with retail spaces on the bottom floor.

“Our clients and staff are extremely excited for the progress that we’ve been able to accomplish this year. With the clearing taking place, you can finally see some of the changes that are going to result in the Carson-Cottle Center being completed,” says Isaac Smoldon, Youth Representative for MyHouse.

The project has been made possible by a S23 million grant to the MyHouse Mat-Su Homeless Youth Center to fund the construction of a commercial building to support programs that offer services to homeless youth, expanding their successful job training programs statewide and offer additional space for the programs offered.

The Carson-Cottle Center represents a massive increase in My House’s service capabilities, in-part through the addition of 64 more transitional living beds. Additionally, the ground floor will retail spaces that will be occupied by local businesses, all of whom have agreed to employ MyHouse clients as part of the organization’s job-training program in partnership with Nine Star Employment Services.

There will also be on-site physical, mental and behavioral health professionals available for MyHouse clients and the community. Also planned is a new restaurant space designed by Josh Broda from the Chop House and Settlers’ Bay Lodge; a concert space which is being designed by Josh Fryfogel; Voices of America will be offering a Recovery High School and outpatient services for youth; and the only secure residential human trafficking recovery program for young adults in Alaska.

“Our staff couldn’t be more excited, we know that this is a big step up for the organization, with us increasing capacity by 200% and we’re thrilled to be able to offer new critical services to our client demographic.”

The building is named for Michael Carson, who has dedicated decades of service to working with homeless youth, first in Anchorage as part of the first Outreach Team for Covenant House when it launched its homeless youth services, and vast experience working with youth of all ages in homeless and substance abuse recovery situations. He had been on the Operating Board for the local Housing and Homeless Coalition before joining MyHouse, joining Michelle Overstreet in founding MyHouse right after retiring and has been hard at work since that time. He has also chaired the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force for the past five years.

The other half of the name is in honor of the late Bert Cottle, who passed away in 2022. He had served on the Wasilla City Council before being elected Mayor for 2 terms. Cottle was long known for his passion for the community, having long served on various boards throughout the state, and providing much-needed support for different outreach organizations. MyHouse, in particular, was an organization near to Cottle’s heart.

The land was purchased from the Carter Family Trust, overseen by Kris and Ray Carter. The project is designed by award winning architect Wil Carson, a Colony High School graduate and Harvard Architect, and later part of a team of architects who won a “Time Magazine Invention of the Year” in 2015, awarded for their building design for Skid Row in Los Angeles.

MyHouse has been serving homeless and at-risk youth from around the state for 13 years, and has maintained its vision to end homelessness and a philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out.”

The Carson-Cottle Center is located at 800 N. Fishhook Road, Wasilla.