Northwest Alaska residents are getting help with home improvements and utilities

Homeowners in the Northwest Arctic are receiving help with home improvements, utilities and mortgage payments.

Northwest Inupiat Housing Authority participates in the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund program to help vulnerable homeowners in Selawik, Noorvik, Ambler, Kobuk, Deering, Kiana and Shungnak, said Paulette Schuerch, housing director at the organization. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Treasury as a part of the COVID-relief program.

A total of 75 homeowners applied for assistance in November and December. Applicants are expected to start getting help with utilities and mortgage payments as soon as this month, while home improvements assistance will be provided starting this summer.

The majority of the applicants asked for help with home Improvements – to make home repairs, alleviate overcrowding and ensure that they remain in their homes, Schuerch said. For example, one Elder asked for help getting a new hot water heater and a new wood stove because their furnace is not working.

The Housing Authority will assess the condition of the houses and important improvements – such as fixing heating, doors and windows and air circulation systems – will be a priority, Schuerch said.

However, only up to $30,000 can be spent for one home to cover those needs, including the costs of shipping the materials.

“We just have to do what we can with what we have,” Schuerch said.

The Housing Authority plans to provide home improvement assistance in Deering and Selawik in the summer of 2023; in Kiana and Noorvik in the summer of 2024; and in Ambler, Kobuk and Shungnak – in the summer of 2025.

Many homeowners asked for assistance with utilities: 63 people applied for help with electrical bills, 61 with heating fuel, 57 with water and sewer payments, and four with trash removal. The funds can cover both their delinquent and future payments.

Lastly, a few applicants asked for help with their past and future mortgage payments, insurance, and reinstating the mortgage.

“Only 12 households among applicants chose mortgages,” she said. “I was thinking that it was going to be a lot more than that.”

To be eligible for the program, homeowners need to be tribal members. They also need to meet the income requirements and make 100% or less of the median income for their household. This means that a two-person family needs to earn $79,900 or less, and a five-person family has to make no more than $88,800, according to the income limits summary for Northwest Arctic Borough.

To see where local homeowners needed financial assistance most, Northwest Inupiat Housing Authority sent out a survey to 145 homebuyers in the region, as well as each of the tribes and municipalities, Schuerch said.

After drafting its plan for the program, the authority sought feedback from communities, then waited for the Board of Commissioners’ approval and then submitted it to the Department of Treasury for review.

The Housing Authority was verifying the applications and gathering the necessary documentation in January and February.

The application for assistance is now closed, but there is a chance the second round might be open, Schuerch said.

Residents in Kotzebue, Kivalina, and Noatak Buckland need to contact their tribes to seek assistance.

A new housing needs assessment

The Housing Authority plans to start a new borough-wide housing needs assessment this month, to identify how many houses are dilapidated, abandoned and in need of improvements.

“Some of the things that we want to know is how overcrowded the houses are,“ Schuerch said. “We want to know the age of the houses, the housing type, is it a single family or multifamily? Is it not safe for living?”

To ensure the assessment captures the needs of the community, the Housing Authority works in partnership with the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska Mental Health Trust, Behavioral Health Services and Maniilaq Association.

“We want to identify, are there people with disabilities living in those houses?” Schuerch said.

“We’re also wanting to identify, is there a need for assisted living facilities in our region?”

The last assessment in the region was conducted back in 2005, and “now that it’s almost 20 years later, we really feel that it’s important that we get one done,” Schuerch said.

“We’re really excited about that,” Schuerch said.

The funding came around the holidays from the Northwest Arctic Borough through the Village Improvement Fund, as well as Alaska Mental Health Trust, she said.

To conduct the assessment, the Housing Authority is hiring about 23 people, including survey coordinators and surveyors.

“All of our surveyors will be going door to door and meeting with folks just having that sit-down discussion,” she said. “We want to try to get a really in-depth capture of the entire community.”