Assessment Reveals Overcrowding and Lack of Senior Housing

Alaska Housing released its 2018 Housing Assessment that is based on available housing data. Highlights include: 

• Of 251,678 occupied homes, more than 12,000 lack complete kitchens and/or plumbing.
• As Alaskans age, demand for senior facility beds increase. Demand is expected to double in the next 12 years. To keep up, 318 beds must be added annually.
• As Alaska’s population ages and in some cases, shifts, construction in some communities is insufficient to maintain pace.

A Housing Assessment was last conducted for Alaska Housing in 2014. Challenges identified then and updated:

• Homes in Alaska are overcrowded at more than twice the national average, and more than half of households in some rural communities are overcrowded. Sixteen thousand homes would need to be built to alleviate overcrowding. 
• More than 5,000 homes in Alaska have benefited since 2014 from the investment the State of Alaska made in Alaska Housing’s Home Energy Rebate and Weatherization programs – yet 14,600 homes are still identified as “inefficient” or rated with 1-star on AHFC’s 1—6 star scale. 

Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) completed the 2018 Housing Assessment, including analysis by regional and census areas.

Findings are used to prioritize Alaska Housing’s work based on the corporation’s mission of promoting safe, quality and affordable housing.