In Southeast Alaska, 70% of Tribal citizens served by Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority are renters – nearly double the rate across Alaska and the U.S. Although many own land passed down through their families, almost no new affordable housing had been built in the region’s villages for 20 years.
In 2019, the region’s Tribes made housing a priority. Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority responded with Success Starts with Me, an innovation designed to prepare Tribal citizens to build and own homes on Tribal lands.
Partnering with Haa Yakaawu Financial Corporation, a Native CDFI, the housing authority offers a viable path to homeownership: financial education courses, access to loans with individualized down payments, and sweat equity options that lower construction costs.
We're changing the dynamic of how housing is delivered for generations to come. Jackie Pata, CEO, Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority |
Impact to Date
- Home construction underway in Yakutat, Douglas, Kasaan, and Juneau
- In-house construction crews and apprentices staffing all projects
- 200+ community members completed financial education
Rooted in Family and Culture
Joseph Marks was among the homeowners celebrating at the ribbon cutting for six new homes at the Crow Hill development site on Douglas Island, just across the Gastineau Channel from Juneau. The early-career professor of indigenous studies looks forward to gathering with multiple generations of his family to celebrate their own joyous moments.
"It's beyond just being a homeowner,” said Marks. “It's allowing ourselves to reside and remember ourselves onto our own lands."
