City and Borough of Juneau Housing Portal

CBJ Establishes Juneau Affordable Housing Fund

After months of collaborative work among the Juneau Affordable Housing Commission, the Juneau Economic Development Council, and the Juneau Homeless Coalition, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance on July 19, 2010 to establish the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund. The ordinance steered $400,000 into the JAHF so that the Affordable Housing Commission can begin funding local projects to promote and provide affordable housing in Juneau.

The Juneau Affordable Housing Fund will be administered through the Affordable Housing Commission and the Affordable Housing Coordinator at the Juneau Economic Development Council. The funding priorities for the JAHF will be established annually and will be based on information about local housing needs and gaps analysis. The JAHF will make low-interest loans and grants to for-profit and nonprofit organizations as well as public housing authorities that meet eligibility criteria.

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Affordable Housing Coordinator Scott Ciambor says, "Now that the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund is established, the goal for the Affordable Housing Commission will be to provide low-interest loans and grants for affordable housing activities that are likely already in the pipeline, but also to capitalize the JAHF so that programs and policies can be developed that address the housing and homelessness needs identified in the Juneau Housing Needs Assessment."

"Affordable Housing" refers to a household's ability to find housing within their financial means. Households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing and certain utilities are considered to experience a cost burden. In Juneau, a wide range of households at varying income levels struggle with affordable housing.

"Workforce Housing" refers to households that earn too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies, but not enough to afford to buy a home or an apartment or rent an apartment.

The City and Borough of Juneau Housing Portal will provide housing information and resources for all aspects of the local housing community. If you have questions, please call the JEDC affordable housing coordinator at 907-523-2338.

JEDC Releases Juneau Housing Needs Assessment

Preparing a housing needs assessment is a key first step for communities that face affordable housing problems and that want to develop effective strategies to solve them. Through the support and funding of the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), JEDC has completed the Juneau Housing Needs Assessment (PDF) to provide housing data to community groups that are working on the issue.

Information from the housing needs assessment will be especially helpful to the Juneau Affordable Housing Commission, which makes policy recommendations to the CBJ on affordable housing issues, and the Juneau Homeless Coalition, a local group of housing and social service providers. These groups will utilize this information to help acquire grant funding and financing for future housing projects.

Private enterprise is encouraged to consider the report findings as well, since any future affordable housing strategy will involve community-wide collaboration and the careful use of resources.

If you or your organization is interested in more information, or would like a presentation on this report and the status of affordable housing and homelessness in Juneau, please contact Affordable Housing Coordinator Scott Ciambor at (907) 523-2338 or sciambor@jedc.org.