Housing is Everyone's Business

by Anne Pfauth

Anchorage has been hearing a lot lately about housing. Hardly a week goes by that there isn’t something appearing in the news about the city’s housing situation using words like; “inadequate”, “unaffordable”, “housing crisis”, “housing gridlock”, “lack of low-income housing”, and “homelessness." Data compiled by United Way of Anchorage reveals that workers in 21 of the 25 most common jobs in Anchorage cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment, and workers in 18 of those jobs cannot afford a one-bedroom rental.  Catholic Social Services’ outgoing executive director, Susan Bomalaski, was recently asked what she would do, if given a blank check, to address the problem of homelessness in Anchorage. Her reply: “I would start by building housing.”

Over the last few months, the Anchorage Daily News has published a series of reports on the Riviera Terrace Mobile Home Park and the plans of a California developer to replace the park with a “high-end 450 unit housing complex.” Questions and concerns have arisen about the displacement of those living in the 170 trailer homes currently occupying rented space at the park, many of them on fixed incomes or whose salaries leave no room for rent payments and security deposits on traditional apartments or houses.  For most of them, the option of moving their trailer homes to another mobile home park is out of the question. Many of the trailers are unmovable due to age or condition. Of those that could be moved, the cost of doing so is prohibitive and the likelihood of finding a space to move them to is slim.  Selling, for most, is not a viable option either, as the housing trend in Anchorage has been steadily moving away from this type of ownership for years. The reality is that mobile home parks, while recognized by municipal planners and administrators as an affordable housing choice and lifestyle option, are on their way “out," dealing yet another blow to the already limited choices for low cost housing in Anchorage.

Homelessness in Anchorage is not a single issue

To think of “housing” as a single issue involving real estate is an oversimplification. Shelter is a basic human need, which touches upon related issues of security, health, and survival. Decent, affordable housing is an important element of financial as well as emotional security for all of us, but those at the lower end of the economic spectrum are especially vulnerable to inadequacies in the market. The stress placed upon individuals and families struggling to keep their heads above water due to unaffordable rent payments or substandard housing arrangements, ripples through our community in the form of greater calls for physical and mental healthcare, and increases in psychosocial problems such as substance abuse and crime.

Businesses rely on a labor pool of people with the stability of homes and basic transportation for hiring as employees, not to mention the need for those employees to have the purchasing power to support the products of business. In a recent survey, the Anchorage Economic and Development Corporation found that approximately 60% of employers regarded the cost of Anchorage housing as a detriment to hiring and retaining workers and may become an impediment to the growth of the local economy. It is time to realize that affordable housing is everyone’s business, not just those feeling the stress of a looming rent payment and an empty bank account.

Looking to the future

Task forces and coalitions have been formed in recent years to address the related issues of homelessness, low-income housing availability, and the housing shortage in general. These partnerships have mostly been made up of municipal government, non-profit, and faith-based organizations. They have done commendable work in bringing the problem to light and addressing regulatory, policy, and infrastructure issues. Hopefully more will be done to recruit the for-profit sector as a partner and stakeholder in these efforts as well. The challenge of sustaining and improving the economic health and livability of our community, and the quality of life for all of its residents has its best chance of success by having many sectors represented at the drawing table.