Stalled disaster funds are now building 48 homes in Anchorage and Cordova

Nearly $7 million in disaster-recovery money that had been sitting idle is finally building housing — 48 senior and family units now going up in Anchorage and Cordova.

The funds had been set aside for a Habitat for Humanity program that stalled. Rather than let the money sit, HUD signed off on redirecting it to Cook Inlet Housing Authority: $3.1 million for senior housing at Airport Heights in Anchorage, and $3.8 million for family housing in Cordova. Both are expected to open by fall 2028.

The money traces back to some of Alaska's recent disasters — Typhoon Merbok in 2022, the 2023 Lower Yukon flooding, and the 2024 Juneau flood. It's a small slice of a much larger $57 million in recovery funds the state is still working to put to use across 56 affected communities.