2025 Western Alaska Disaster Rental Assistance Preference for Bethel Public Housing Waiting List

Families displaced due to Typhoon Halong are eligible to submit an application. AHFC will verify displacement at the time of application.

When a public housing application with disaster preference is selected for assistance, AHFC staff will verify the following information to confirm the applicant meets program eligibility requirements. 

• Must be verified as a resident displaced by Typhoon Halong. 
• Families may not exceed HUD income limits for assistance. The maximum income limit varies depending on household size and the community where assistance will be used. You can view the HUD household income limits by visiting the following link: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html. Use this calculator to estimate if you are income-qualified. 
  • Household income may not exceed 80 percent of area median income for AHFC-Owned housing. 
• Federal regulations prohibit AHFC from providing rental assistance to persons with the following criminal history.
  • Anyone who is a fugitive, in violation of parole or probation, or fleeing to avoid prosecution. 
  • Anyone subject to a lifetime sex offender registry. 
  • Anyone who has been evicted from federally assisted housing for drug related criminal activity in the past 36 months. 
  • Anyone convicted of the manufacture or production of methamphetamine on the premises of federally assisted housing. 
• Families are required to identify if they are a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, a noncitizen with eligible immigration status, or ineligible noncitizen. 
• Families are screened for rental history or bill pay ability. 
• AHFC will work with families to verify the identity of adults and minors.

The AHFC 2025 Western Alaska Disaster Rental Assistance Preference Application is available for download here. AHFC offers paper applications online and at local offices. Applications may be returned in person at a local office, by fax, or by mail.

Contact your local AHFC office as soon as possible. A Disaster Release of Information (ROI) form must be completed and added to your application. The preference will be applied on the date and time the signed Disaster ROI is received by AHFC during the application period.

AHFC is accepting applications for the 2025 Western Alaska Disaster Rental Assistance preference from November 5 at 1 p.m. through November 14, 2025 at 5 p.m. Families displaced by Typhoon Halong are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

If you need assistance completing the application, contact your local AHFC office, email preference@ahfc.us, or call 1-877-330-8415 during normal business hours.

Bethel’s Public Housing offers AHFC-owned and managed affordable rental units for low-income families.

The public housing stock varies in bedroom size. The largest units can accommodate a maximum number of 11 people.

Your rent portion is determined by your household composition. 

• Households where all adults are 62 years of age or older, or persons with a disability, will contribute the greater of 28.5% of their income for rent or a minimum rent of $25 per month.
• All other households will contribute the greater of 28.5% of their income for rent or a minimum of $100 per month for the first year. The family’s contribution to rent will increase after the first year.

We encourage all applicants to apply for both state and federal assistance: 

• State of Alaska Individual Assistance Program: to apply for assistance call 1-844-445-7131 or visit https://ready.alaska.gov/ia. The deadline to apply for State Assistance is December 9, 2025.
• FEMA: apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling the FEMA Alaska Call Center at 1-866-342-1699 or by using the FEMA App. You can also call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, 7 days a week. The deadline to apply for FEMA Assistance is December 22, 2025.

•  Households where all adults are 62 years of age or older, or persons with a disability, can receive assistance for as long as they qualify. 
• All other households can receive assistance for five (5) years.

• Applicants confirmed to be displaced by Typhoon Halong will receive the preference on the public housing waitlist in Bethel.  
• Once a family reaches the top of the waitlist, they will receive an email invitation to create a RENTCafé account and begin the electronic intake process. Public use computers are available in most AHFC offices that families may use to create their account and complete the intake.   
  • AHFC will need verification of social security numbers, identification for adults, and proof of custody for minors, i.e. birth certificates. 
  • Families must provide proof of federal income dated within 60 days. 
    • Social Security and Supplemental Security Benefit Letter Portal
    • Veteran Affairs Benefit Letter Portal
• Contact AHFC if you do not have access to the requested information at the time of intake. 
• AHFC will then determine program eligibility and assign assistance based on family composition. 
• Families participating in AHFC’s public housing program in Bethel will receive notification from AHFC staff of the projected move in date.