Housing
RSSHousing in Alaska is the supply, cost and development of homes across the state's communities. It covers affordability, zoning and density rules, senior and supportive housing, and rural and Native housing programs, along with shelters, tax exemptions and land use decisions tied to housing.
Inside Housing
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Week of Aug 10
$1.54 million in federal rent aid for Kotzebue's four subsidized elder apartments
HUD awarded $1.54 million to Tupqich Elder Apartments in Kotzebue to cover operating costs for very-low-income seniors, who pay 30 percent of their income toward rent.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Sitka nonprofit seeks to bend the rules to build more housing
A Sitka housing nonprofit is asking the city to waive parking and allow smaller lots so it can fit more homes on a lot on Halibut Point Road.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Juneau gathers its senior-housing help into one guide
Juneau is pulling its senior-housing help — ADU grants, renovation grants, contractors — into one guide to help older residents stay in their homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Federal money can now put a homeless family in a motel room to keep a kid in school
Federal guidance now lets Alaska schools use homeless-education money for a motel room when no shelter's available — a last resort to keep a child in school.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Petersburg hospital board weighs buying housing to address staffing gaps
Petersburg Medical Center is exploring buying or building staff housing to fill nursing and technician jobs that now rely on expensive temporary workers.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's camping ordinance produces plenty of compliance — but few people taking services, and homelessness still visible
Anchorage police contacted 1,085 people under the camping ban since August 2025, but only 72 accepted services, raising questions about enforcement paired with outreach.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Week of Aug 3
Anchorage Assembly weights resolution would back JBER buildout as base housing nears full
Anchorage weighs committing to planning for a military buildup of up to 1,050 personnel, on a base whose family housing is already 98% full.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska moves to open child care assistance to more working families
Alaska wants to raise the income ceiling for child care assistance from 85 to 105 percent of the state median, though it's contested whether the expansion needs new money.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
More from Housing
A Northwest think tank has ideas for Anchorage housing
A Seattle think tank that advocates for denser housing is recommending Anchorage zoning changes, one of which the city already adopted in 2025.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska moves to hand four more land tracts to a housing agency, no bidding required
Alaska is proposing to transfer four more state land tracts to its housing agency without competitive bidding — part of an ongoing push to turn public land into housing development.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs 10-year tax break for condos above shops and offices
Anchorage weighs a 10-year property-tax break for buyers of new condos above shops to spur housing, but critics ask whether the price cap lets it build much.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage may let buyers own a detached home outright where condos are now the norm
Anchorage may let buyers own detached houses outright in more residential zones — a change aimed at helping people dodge the financing hurdles of buying a condo. The Assembly decides.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Week of Jul 27
Kenai weighs federal housing funds for Sixth Street water and sewer work
Kenai weighs using federal housing grant money to help fund water, sewer and street work on Sixth Street, with a public hearing and vote Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A year in, Anchorage's camping ordinance mostly moves people along, not into services
A year of Anchorage's camping ordinance: 89% of contacts end without arrest, but 890 of 962 people who complied left with no referral to services. The Assembly reviews it Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Free daily meals and pantries available across Anchorage in August
A free hot meal is available somewhere in Anchorage every day this month, plus two dozen food pantries citywide. Call 211 or check anchoragefood.org for the schedule.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The military is adding a thousand people to a base that's already full
The military plans to add about 1,050 people to Alaska bases while JBER housing sits at 98% full. Anchorage's Assembly is bracing for the overflow to hit the city's market.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Anchorage Assembly Special Meeting – Missing Middle Housing Overlay Proposal Debate
Loussac Library Assembly Chambers
Meeting
Assembly Ordinance Introduction - View Drive Buyout
Meeting
Planning & Zoning Commission Hearing on Carl F. Ahlstrom Park Public Purpose Designation
Hearing
Kenai City Council Enactment Vote on Carl F. Ahlstrom Park Public Purpose Designation
Meeting
2026 ALICE in Alaska Webinar
Class
About Housing
Housing in Alaska takes in the supply, cost and development of homes across the state's communities, from apartments and senior housing to shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Affordability is a persistent question, as rents and basic costs strain households in both cities and rural areas.
Local governments shape housing through zoning, minimum lot sizes, rules for accessory dwellings and small multifamily buildings, and sales or trades of public land for development. Anchorage, Sitka, Seward, Kodiak and Juneau weigh such changes before their assemblies and planning commissions.
The state housing agency, tribal organizations and federal programs such as HUD Section 184 loans for Native borrowers finance construction and lending. Employers such as the Coast Guard also look for housing for their workers in Alaska towns.
More from Housing
Juneau neighbors want a homeless camp cleared after a reported bear shooting
Neighbors near Juneau's Governor's Mansion want a homeless camp cleared after a camper reportedly shot a bear — a flashpoint in Alaska's rising camp tension.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage takes another run at its missing-middle housing rules
Anchorage takes a second swing at missing-middle housing, letting corridor owners opt into duplexes-to-townhomes. Last year's version stalled on neighborhood pushback.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom 
Mat-Su forum tackles housing for after parents are gone
A Mat-Su nonprofit will present plans Thursday for small-scale housing for disabled adults, aimed at the families asking what comes after they're gone.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 20
Anchorage may let duplex owners sell half the house and its land
Anchorage may let duplex owners in single-family zones sell one unit and its land as its own lot — more housing, plus questions about running a split lot.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Full-time St. Paul Island homeowners can get replacement fuel tanks
St. Paul Island homeowners can now get free replacement heating fuel tanks through a new community program, limiting eligibility to full-time residents.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Cook Inlet Tribal Council wants input on next winter's heating help
Cook Inlet Tribal Council is taking comment through Aug. 24 on how it'll run heating assistance next year — the help that covers fuel bills through an Alaska winter.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 13
Anchorage Assembly takes up $311,222 program to help mobile home residents displaced by park redevelopment
Anchorage Assembly is considering a $311,222 program to help mobile home residents displaced when their parks are redeveloped, part of a $2.57 million federal housing plan due to HUD by August 16.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage resolution would steer infrastructure to neighborhoods absorbing new housing
Anchorage Assembly will vote Tuesday on a resolution directing city infrastructure spending toward neighborhoods absorbing new housing under municipal growth plans.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairview grant dispute heads to Assembly with two members urging no vote
Two Assembly members urge rejection of a $750,000 federal grant for a behavioral health center in Fairview, citing a 2018 city policy against concentrating social services there.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage proposes tax break for mixed-use buildings with owner-occupied units
Anchorage proposes a 10-year property tax break for developers who build or convert mixed-use buildings with at least four owner-occupied units priced at or below $496,746 each.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs 10-year tax break for first-time homebuyers of new starter homes
Anchorage Assembly is considering a 10-year property tax break for first-time buyers of newly built homes priced at or below $496,746, with a public hearing set for July 21.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Sitka Assembly schedules child care work session for July 21
Sitka Assembly meets July 21 to tackle child care shortages that parents say are expensive and understaffed, and that hurt nearly two-thirds of local employers.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
As federal wetland protections recede, Anchorage rewrites its own rules
After the Supreme Court pulled federal protection off more than half the nation's wetlands, their fate now falls to states and cities — and no state has more wetlands than Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage moves to allow homes on commercial land
Anchorage wants to let you build a house on commercial strip-mall land — the latest zoning tweak in its long slog toward 10,000 new homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Kenai has 120 seniors waiting for housing that doesn't exist yet
120 people are waitlisted for senior housing in Kenai that hasn't been built — and the city's plan doesn't even study the problem until around 2030.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
Stalled disaster funds are now building 48 homes in Anchorage and Cordova
Nearly $7M in disaster-recovery money that sat idle after a stalled Habitat project is finally building 48 senior and family homes in Anchorage and Cordova.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes on wetlands
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes in Southeast — but first it has to fill 4 acres of wetlands, and the state review of that just opened for comment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Wasilla moves to reject a 59-unit affordable housing project
Wasilla is set to formally deny a 59-unit affordable housing project — a clash between a real housing shortage and neighbors who want the site to stay commercial.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $500K shelter contract increase as earlier amendments used Title 7 waivers
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $500,000 shelter contract increase, bringing the total to nearly $4.93 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 29
Anchorage planners say 30-foot R-1 height cap would undermine housing overlay
Anchorage planners say a 30-foot height cap for R-1 zones would block three-story buildings the Missing Middle Housing overlay is meant to enable.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
An Anchorage shelter contract has grown from $1 million to nearly $5 million in a year
A homeless-shelter contract the Anchorage Assembly approved at $1 million a year ago has grown to nearly $5 million. It votes on another $500,000 increase Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to consider buying two wetland lots for under $30,000
Anchorage Assembly votes July 7 to buy two wetland lots in Laurel Acres for under $30,000 to generate credits that offset wetland damage from future development projects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage takes another run at 'missing middle' housing
Anchorage may let owners along transit corridors build duplexes and fourplexes on single-family lots — a narrower second try at a denser-housing idea that stalled last fall.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Nearly $1 million for Anchorage's safety net goes to an Assembly vote
Anchorage's Assembly votes July 7 on nearly $978,000 for nine nonprofits that feed the homeless, shelter abuse survivors, and help families and kids in crisis.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
