Housing Alaskans awards grants for 77 new homes across 13 communities

Published 11:45 am Friday, May 29, 2026

Housing Alaskans has awarded grants to support the development of new housing units throughout Alaska, delivering a fresh boost to the state’s ongoing efforts to ease its severe housing shortage – and a project in Kenai will benefit from it.

A total of $1,500,669 in grants was awarded for 77 new affordable units across 13 Alaska communities, with a focus on accelerating shovel-ready projects that had stalled due to a lack of final capital. The awards span affordable rental and ownership homes for the state’s workforce, teachers, seniors, and storm-impacted communities.

Rainbow Flats I in Kenai is one of the projects receiving funding.

This year’s other grant awardees include: Airport Heights Senior Housing in Anchorage, Chevak House Kits in Chevak, Chignik Lagoon Apartments in Chignik, Healy Lake Professional Housing in Healy Lake, Self-Help Housing in Kodiak, KINC 6th Ave in Nome, Nulato Teacher Housing Units in Nulato, Teacher Housing in Noatak, Nordic Apartments in Petersburg, Scammon Bay Housing Program in Scammon Bay, S’us’ Heeni Shaak Uplands in Sitka, and S. Naknek Duplexes in South Naknek.

The housing shortage in Alaska is deepening workforce shortages, forcing business to turn away growth opportunities, and compelling communities to cut essential services, according to Housing Alaskans, which was created to cut through the challenges of securing capital to build affordable homes.

“Alaska faces some of the most complex housing challenges in the United States, from high construction costs to remote logistics,” said Shauna Hegna, chair of the Housing Alaskans board of directors.

”Alaska needs shovels in the ground, and Housing Alaskans funding is designed to do exactly that by streamlining project development and maximizing the impact of public and private investment.”

With the 77 new units, Housing Alaskans has now helped 24 projects in 19 communities open its doors to 222 new homes for Alaskans since it was created in 2022.