A Promising Partnership

David Weidner at the City Hall launch.

ANCHORAGE - The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines works with some 1,350- member financial institutions in 13 states - including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington - and 3 U.S. territories to promote homeownership and affordable housing. Like HUD, the Bank has a "thing" for private-public partnerships.

That's why every year the Bank devotes 10 percent of its net profits to partnerships between member banks and non-profit housing organizations to preserve and expand homeownership and the affordable housing stock. Since 1990, in fact, it has awarded $635 million to partnerships that have provided affordable housing opportunities to more than 106,000 families and individuals. Many of these projects also use HUD programs and resources.

The Bank's proud of the work the partnerships do. For the past six years it has sponsored an annual Strong Communities competition (www.fhlbdm.com/news/community-news/federal-home-loan-bank-of-des-moines-announces-seven-strong-communities-award-finalists/) that "recognizes collaboration and leadership in communities by measuring the results of these projects and their impact on creating stronger communities." Winners are chosen in a public, on-line vote.

Projects like that in which the First National Bank Alaska and 21 other organizations are involved in Anchorage that won a 2019 Strong Communities Award. Launched in the summer of 2018 by the Municipality of Anchorage, it's called Path to Independence (www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/PressReleases/Pages/Public-privatepartnershiptoprovidehousingstabilizationinPathtoIndependence.aspx) - or P2I. Its goal? To "quickly house individuals and families experiencing homelessness and to help them remain housed permanently."

P2I's partner roster is impressive. In addition to First National Bank Alaska, other funders include Weidner Apartment Homes, Cook Inlet Housing Authority, Catholic Social Services, Providence Health and Services Alaska, Rasmuson Foundation, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, ConocoPhillips Alaska, BP Alaska, Carr Foundation, Wells Fargo, the Municipality of Anchorage, GCI, Cook Inlet Region Inc., Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Bering Straits Native Corporation, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Doyon, Chugach Alaska Corporation, Sealaska Corporation, Koniag Inc, Calista Corporation, NANA Corporation, Aleut Corporation, and the Alaska Community Foundation.

To date, P2I partners have raised more than $650,000 to support "an approach to homelessness," said Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, that "combines physical infrastructure with an investment in support services and job readiness to create conditions for long-term participant success."

Initially there will be 40 households - individuals and families - in the pilot. who, says The Anchorage Daily News, (www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/04/18/anchorages-large-private-landlords-team-up-to-provide-apartments-for-the-homeless/) "are relatively self-sufficient and able to work" and "became homeless as a result of a life change or economic hardship" based on comprehensive assessments of household needs by the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, the lead organization in the city's HUD-funded Continuum of Care.

Those selected will be referred to the C2I case manager, Catholic Social Services that will place them in units owned and operated by the Cook Inlet Housing Authority and Weidner Apartment Homes, the city's largest landlord. Once housed, participants will receive 6 months of financial support of up to $6,500 to cover rent and as well as expenses associated with education and employment opportunities, many expected to be provided by P2I partners.

"It's the first time a large private landlord in Anchorage has spearheaded such a program," The Daily News noted. "For years, I've contemplated different ways that private landlords can leverage some of the housing stock that we own in order to help address the homeless situation that seems to be growing every day," said David Weidner at the City Hall launch. This pilot "integrates a number of the most successful attributes of other plans into an Anchorage specific model to address the unique issues we see here" and "I look forward to the lessons we'll learn."

There's reason to be optimistic. "To date," the Home Loan Bank reports (www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/PressReleases/Pages/Public-privatepartnershiptoprovidehousingstabilizationinPathtoIndependence.aspx) "almost 90 percent of P2I participants are employed and over 90 percent of rent payments have been made on time" with the expectation that "over 75 percent of participants" will "remain housed at the end of a year" and "100 percent of participants who remain housed" will "show an increase in income."

P2I, says HUD Alaska director Colleen Bickford, "is a remarkable partnership affording participants a very real opportunity to become self-sufficient. It's made even more remarkable by the breadth and depth of support its membership reflects in tackling one of the biggest problems the Municipality faces - homelessness. If there's any partnership that can do that, it's P2I."

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