HUD AWARDS $1.2 MILLION TO BOOST HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL ALASKA

ALASKA - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced $1.2 million in grants to help rural communities in Alaska produce more affordable housing. The funding is provided through HUD's Rural Housing
and Economic Development Program and is part of a total $17 million awarded to more than 56 rural communities nationwide.

"This investment in rural Alaska demonstrates HUD's commitment to our rural communities," said Colleen Bickford, HUD's Anchorage Field Office director. "These grants will help rural communities across Alaska produce affordable housing and jobs where they're needed most."

Rural Housing and Economic Development grants help pay for land acquisition, new home construction, housing demolition, infrastructure improvements and construction training. Other possible uses include homeownership and financial counseling; financial assistance to homeowners, businesses and developers; creating microenterprises and small business incubators; and, establishing lines of credit or revolving loan pools to benefit the local business community.

In Alaska, the recipients of the RHED grant funding are: Asa'carsarmiut Tribal Council in Mountain Village, Chilkoot Indian Association in Haines, the Organized Village of Kasaan, and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program,
working with villages in the Copper River Basin. Each of the recipients will receive a $300,000 grant. See Fact Sheet for more details.

In addition, these grants are expected to generate nearly $472,815 from other public and private sources to further promote economic development and employment.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws.  More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

###

FACT SHEET - ALASKA'S RHED GRANTS

Asa'carsarmiut Tribal Council in Mountain Village will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative grant award in the amount of $300,000. The Asa'carsarmiut Tribal Council is a federally recognized tribal government. The tribe will use funds to rehabilitate 20 substandard homes for low-income families. Project activities will include repairing foundation systems and reinsulating homes. The proposed leveraging amount is $60,000.

Contact: Katherine Moses
P.O. Box 32249, Mountain Village, AK 99632
Telephone: 907-591-2814

Chilkoot Indian Association in Haines will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative grant award
in the amount of $300,000. The Chilkoot Indian Association will use funds to expand the supply of decent housing for very low to low-income tribal members as an economic development activity in rural Alaska.  The funds will assist in the completion of the Chilkoot Indian Association administrative offices, four rental apartments and create eight jobs. The association will leverage funds from their regional tribe to design and implement an apprentice program with an emphasis on construction trades using on-the-job training.  The proposed leveraging amount is $122,403.

Contact: Gregory M. Stuckey
P.O. Box 490, 217 Main Street, Suite 1, Haines, AK 99827
Telephone: 907-766-2323

Organized Village of Kasaan in Ketchikan will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative grant award in the amount of $300,000. Organized Village of Kasaan, a federally recognized tribe, was established in 1934
to promote the protection, preservation, and education of its village and members in rural Southeast Alaska. Funds
will be used to complete the construction of the village eco-tourism Discovery Lodge Project, which will create significant employment opportunities for the people of Kasaan and greater Prince of Wales Island, and bring
additional Tribal members and their families back to the community. The proposed leveraging amount is $45,000.

Contact: Richard Peterson
P.O. Box 26 - Kasaan, Ketchikan, AK 99950-0340
Telephone: 907-542-2230

Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. in Anchorage will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative grant award in the amount of $300,000. The award will be used to provide support for the Copper Basin Homeowner Preparation Program, which will serve the communities and Alaska Native villages of the Copper Basin. A comprehensive three-year Homeowner Preparation Program will encourage sustainable homeownership in the Copper Basin. This project will also include education in a workshop setting, one-on-one counseling, and post-occupancy counseling. Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP) proposes to construct 8-12 homes for
first-time homebuyers for the self-help program for low to moderate-income families. The proposed leveraging
amount is $168,009.

Contact: Carole Absher
731 E. 8th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501
Telephone: 907-279-2511 ext. 321