State sets last two block grant workshops as Alaska towns eye Dec. 4 deadline

Alaska communities hoping for a share of about $2.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant money have two more chances to learn how to apply before the Dec. 4 deadline. The Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs set its final two application workshops in a bulletin Friday.

The first is on Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 9 am to noon. The last, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 1 to 4 pm, will be on Zoom and in person at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Anchorage office. Staff plan to cover eligibility, eligible projects, timelines and how to submit, and to take questions.

This is the first cycle in which housing projects can compete for the money, as Alaska News reported Sept. 11. Under the new rules, the most any single community could put toward building housing is about $170,000, Alaska News reported Sept. 17.

Any Alaska municipality except the Municipality of Anchorage can apply, according to the division's block grant page. A single community can win up to $850,000, and federal rules require that at least 51% of the people a project benefits be low- or moderate-income.

Applications go through the division's online portal, and paper applications are no longer accepted. The deadline is 11:59 pm Dec. 4, and the application handbook says late submissions will not be considered.