Staff at NeighborWorks Alaska have been buoyed by the results of the organization's supportive housing effort: More than 800 people, once experiencing homelessness, are now safely housed. Jim MacKenzie, executive director of the NeighborWorks nonprofit, wants to share the organization's strategy with other housing and community development organizations.
As data showed the homeless population near and around Anchorage at nearly 3,500, NeighborWorks Alaska wanted to do more — and do it quickly, MacKenzie says. "It all started because we realized we weren't going to be able to build our way out of this."
To be successful, MacKenzie says the program needed hands-on staff and support. When they began the effort in 2016, Laura Cox-Wilson, director of supportive housing, had been the sole support person, connecting landlords with would-be tenants. The program's success, however, has brought even more grants and resources. Cox-Wilson's division now has 22 staff members, who, over the last year, served 810 individuals. More than 50% of those in the program are Alaska Natives.
When rent is due, NeighborWorks Alaska sends rent subsidies directly to landlords. If there are questions, the nonprofit serves as a buffer. Behavior issues? Same. Meanwhile, the nonprofit also connects clients to food assistance and to partners that include mental health counselors and medical providers.
"Without them, our success rate would decrease," Cox-Wilson says. "It's important to build partnerships and keep them strong. We're constantly balancing the needs of the client with the needs of the landlord."
Converted hotels have become another solution to shelter those experiencing homelessness, MacKenzie says. But the congregant setting isn't for everyone. Some clients needed private space for their families, like the family with eight kids that NeighborWorks Alaska helped last year. Others needed to be far removed from the temptations that put them on the street in the first place. By using naturally occurring affordable housing — housing with lower rents not subsidized by the government — the nonprofit helped them find other spaces to call home.
"We want to get the word out not just about the program, but about the model," MacKenzie shares. "Brick and mortar are great, but it's not an option for every community."
It's a good fit for this region, though, says Steve Barbier, NeighborWorks America's relationship manager in the Western Region. "It's a unique approach. Some network organizations are using tiny homes or repurposed buildings. Here, they're placing people right in the community. They're really growing the program."
'We haven't looked back'
Once landlords have started in the program, they stick to it, Cox-Wilson says. "They like knowing they're helping the community."
That's certainly the case for Carsten Hobbs, a partner with Two Bridges Properties LLC. He says his organization began working with NeighborWorks Alaska in 2020. "We haven't looked back."
Hobbs' company started out with one NeighborWorks Alaska tenant in a fourplex between the Ted Stevens International Airport and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Now, all four units in the fourplex serve program tenants. When there are complications — such as when a client who needed more support services had to find other housing — the collaboration has made it easier to have these conversations. And the client found a home better suited for their circumstances.
Hobbs applauds the program, and is excited when tenants have success, as with a younger resident who was finally ready for a unit of his own. "He started in a minimum wage job but was also able to go to school to become a welder," Hobbs says. His higher income meant that NeighborWorks was covering a smaller percentage of his rent. But he told Hobbs he had a real sense of ownership of his success, that he could support himself, and that he was ready to move forward to the next step in life.
Hobbs says they hope to find more properties where the partnership can continue. He'd also like to see the program spread to other states. "NeighborWorks Alaska doesn't exist anywhere else and we all need it to be everywhere."
Keeping people in the community
Families in the program get a case manager who sticks with them through the entire housing and leasing process. They're connected to a ready-to-rent program that teaches them how to be good tenants and provides financial coaching. And they have access to services that help with nutrition, medical needs and substance abuse, Cox-Wilson says. Meanwhile, children in those families are finally able to get a steady school experience.
Rhonda, a client who was in the midst of being evicted from her apartment, writes that the program has been a life saver. NeighborWorks Alaska "helped me get in touch with programs I needed. I was on the edge of giving up on life." Now, she says, she is in a beautiful apartment. "This program is so needed by our community."
David, another client, writes that through most of his adult life, he has been either homeless or incarcerated. "I had a sense of hopelessness that was out of this world," he adds. With this program, "my housing situation has changed drastically. I am indoors, away from the negativity of the streets. I am more conscious of my decisions. NeighborWorks backed me through some rough situations. They helped guide me to making some important decisions in my life."
Daniel Delfino, director of planning for Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, says he has long admired NeighborWorks Alaska for their pioneering work using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to build affordable new homes. "In that same spirit, NeighborWorks is among the partners who worked with us to provide housing for homeless Alaskans through our federally funded Stabilization & Recovery Program. We're learning together about practical ways to eliminate bureaucracy and focus on getting the job done: providing stability for those who are homeless, including for one-third of our participants who comprise families with children younger than 18."
The program has had a few bumps, Cox-Wilson admits. "But every time there's a bump or roadblock, we have a housing placement specialist and now a housing intervention specialist to help."
Specialists meet with clients to help resolve problems, providing support as clients learn life skills. "It's almost a homelessness prevention piece that we do at the same time as the housing stability piece," she says. "And it assists landlords, so they don't feel they're alone assisting tenants with mental health or other issues." Over the past five years, NeighborWorks Alaska has maintained a housing stability rate of 98%.
The success of the housing program also helps conserve resources, MacKenzie adds. "Housing stability long term is the goal of our work, and that means much more than simply providing four walls and a roof. It's about providing consistent and relevant support to help our clients stabilize their lives." It also ensures the best use of municipal, state and federal sources, such as first responders and hospitals. "It's a win-win for everyone in our community."
