Last Week to Apply for Alaska Housing Rent Relief

12 months assistance available for Alaskans who are past due

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, Feb, 26, 2021 The deadline to apply for rent and utility relief through Alaska Housing Rent Relief is 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 5, 2021. Alaska renters who have been impacted by COVID-19 and now fall below 80% of Area Median Income or live in an overcrowded household or are at risk of violence may be eligible for the federally funded program that brought more than $200 million in emergency rent relief to Alaska.

Payments will be directed to landlords, property managers and utility companies.

“We encourage all renters to check their eligibility because even those who traditionally wouldn’t qualify for federal programs may qualify for rent assistance if their income has been reduced by the pandemic,” said Bryan Butcher, CEO/executive director of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation who is charged with administering the program on behalf of the State of Alaska.

The application process is easy and confidential. It takes fewer than five minutes to check eligibility and apply for financial assistance at AlaskaHousingRelief.org. Alaskans are welcome to call or text the word “relief” toll-free to 833-440-0420. Alaskans who previously received federally funded housing assistance are eligible to participate but must apply for this new program

Quick Facts: The application period opened Feb. 16, 2021. As of 8 a.m. today, more than 19,000 households applied for assistance with requests averaging $12,432 to clear arrearages and address future rent.

• More than a quarter of all applicants self-report being unemployed for 90 days or more (5,007)
• 15% reported receiving eviction notices (2,301)
• Nearly 10% told us they feel unsafe at home (823)
• Two thirds have passed initial screening by providing supporting documentation to demonstrate their financial hardship (13,911)

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For 50 years, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has provided Alaskans access to safe, quality and affordable housing through home financing, energy efficiency and weatherization programs, public housing and more. Since 1986, Alaska Housing has contributed more than $2 billion to the State of Alaska's General Fund.