Alaskans on Parole or Probation and Youth Leaving Foster Care

The Returning Home and Making a Home Programs provides eligible low-income families with financial assistance to obtain affordable housing. It helps families lease privately owned rental units from participating landlords with 12 months of rental assistance and security deposit assistance to eligible families.

Who is Eligible to apply

  • AHFC signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the State of Alaska Department of Corrections to operate the Returning Home Program. Persons that are under Department of Corrections (DOC) community supervision at the time of release from incarceration are eligible.
  • AHFC signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the State of Alaska Office of Children’s Services to operate the Making A Home Program. Youth, ages 18 to 24, that are aging out of foster care and participating in the Independent Living Program are eligible.
  • Families with income at or below 50 percent of the area median income 
  • Families that will lease up in a voucher Service Area.

Criminal history that would make a person ineligible

  • Anyone who is subject to a lifetime registration requirement on a state sex offender registry
  • Anyone with a history of manufacturing methamphetamines in a public housing setting
  • Anyone who owes AHFC money (individuals may enter into a repayment agreement with AHFC)

Returning Home and Making a Home Programs may further exclude individuals with a conviction of a sexual offense, arson, manufacturing or distributing methamphetamines.

Service Area

The service area encompasses the geographical areas that are generally no more than 50 road miles from an AHFC Public Housing field office. AHFC Public Housing field offices are located in the following communities:

  • Anchorage
  • Fairbanks
  • Homer
  • Juneau
  • Ketchikan
  • Kodiak
  • Petersburg
  • Sitka
  • Soldotna
  • Valdez
  • Wasilla
  • Wrangell

How to Apply

  • Returning Home Program Potentially eligible candidates should work with their Probation and Parole Officers (PO) to apply.
  • Making A Home Program Potentially eligible candidates should work with their OCS Independent Living Program specialist to apply.

The Referral Process

RETURNING HOME PROGRAM

  1. The parole or probationer consults with their PO to determine if they are eligible to apply.
  2. The parole or probationer and the PO submit an Application Package to AHFC. 

Returning Home Application Package

DOC Eligibility Checklist

MAKING A HOME PROGRAM

  1. The youth consults with their Independent Living Specialist to determine if they are eligible to apply.
  2. The youth and the Independent Living Specialist submit an Application Package to AHFC.

Making a Home Application Package

NEXT STEPS

  1. Once received, AHFC will forward the application to the appropriate local AHFC Public Housing field office.
  2. A representative from the AHFC Public Housing field office will contact the applicant to start the family's eligibility screening.
  3. The family is invited to complete a briefing session which provides detailed information about the housing program and issued a voucher.
  • Rental assistance is limited to 24 months for parolees/probationers.
  • Rental assistance is limited to 36 months for youth.
  1. To receive a subsidy, the rental amount for the unit must be reasonable. The unit must also pass a federal inspection standard. Landlords may use their own lease, but Alaska Housing requires an initial lease term of one year.
  2. Once a family finds and leases an Alaska Housing-approved rental unit, Alaska Housing breaks the rent into a family portion and a subsidy portion. Families are responsible for paying their portion of the rent directly to their landlord, while Alaska Housing pays the subsidy portion directly to the landlord.