‘I Think Alaska Housing Chose Me’

Jane's career path took a different turn when she joined Alaska Housing Finance Corporation.

With a background in the medical field, on paper the transition to work in housing may have seemed unusual. But Jane’s experience as a medical assistant and her current role as a Housing Program Specialist are built on the same foundation – assisting others.

Helping Others in Her Work

“I think Alaska Housing chose me,” Jane said with a laugh. “Some of my skills from the medical field match up with what I’m doing now as far as helping people. I really like the helping people part of the job. My entire career is helping people in some capacity or another so when I heard about the job at Alaska Housing I applied and was hired a couple months later.”

Though she’s only been in her role for about one year, Jane has found immense satisfaction in the work she is performing at AHFC’s public housing facilities in Juneau.

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“It’s truly amazing when you bring a client off the street. We help them with the whole process and we’re able to give them all sorts of resources. To watch them go into their apartment for the first time, to be able to have shelter and health, that is truly amazing. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you see the looks on their faces and the ‘thank you’ that you get from them. It just makes you happy.”

– Jane, Housing Program Specialist I

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Collaboration and Support

One thing that has made the transition into her new career easier is the collaborative and supportive work environment with the AHFC team. She has valued the stability of the organization, appreciates the benefit package the organization offers, and speaks highly of her manager and coworkers.

“We all get along,” she said. “We just come in, do our jobs and support each other.”

Understanding Challenges

Despite the joys of her current role, Jane recognizes there are challenges as well. Among the most pressing is the limited housing availability in Juneau.

“We have the ability to help people, but our biggest challenge is there isn't enough housing,” she said. “There just aren’t many places to rent, even when our clients do get a Housing Choice Voucher. The wait lists are long.”

Enjoying All Her Community Has to Offer

Being a part of the Juneau community has been a blessing for Jane. An outdoors lover and avid hiker, Jane tries to take advantage of all the area has to offer.

“That’s my stress reliever is getting off work and hiking one of the trails,” she said. “You never know where they’re going to lead you.”

The same can be said for career paths. Jane didn’t know that hers would lead to Alaska Housing. Now she's found a place where helping others happens every day.

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Interested in exploring a career at Alaska Housing? Visit our website and view open positions.