Will Also Visit Barrow, Fairbanks While in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, AK – August 4, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary Sandra B. Henriquez joined Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan today to celebrate the grand opening of Eklutna Estates, the newest senior housing development of the Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA). The housing authority used $3.2 million of the $5.7 million it received from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to construct the new housing.
“I commend CIHA for successfully leveraging HUD support, including Recovery Act money and its annual Indian Housing Block Grants, to build vital affordable housing for the elderly in this community,” said Henriquez, who is on a week-long Alaskan tour. “In addition to providing much needed housing for this population, the housing authority and its partners on this project have also strengthened the local economy by putting people in this region to work.”
Joining Henriquez and Sullivan was Susanne Fleek of U.S. Senator Mark Begich’s office and the CEO/President of the Cook Inlet Housing Authority Carol Gore. Eklutna Estates consists of 59 apartments – 46 one-bedroom/one-bath units and 13 two-bedroom/two-bath units and is open to Alaskans aged 55 and older. The new facility is located within CIHA’s existing senior community, Centennial Village, in east Anchorage.
Henriquez is in Alaska this week getting a look at how HUD funding is making a difference in the lives of Native Americans and Alaska Natives and meeting with tribal entities that are engaging in partnerships to create innovative, sustainable, affordable housing. Also traveling with Henriquez is Rodger Boyd, Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD’s Office of Native American Programs.
“We are very pleased that Assistant Secretary Henriquez is visiting Alaska this week, particularly since she will have an opportunity to visit a number of the communities we serve and meet with many of partners with whom we work,” said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride. “Alaska is our nation’s biggest state and faces some of the biggest challenges and
opportunities. The Assistant Secretary’s visit will give her a first-hand understanding of the resources and programs HUD offers to continue progress for the state and its residents.”
In addition to the groundbreaking, earlier today Henriquez toured the Mountain View community, which has made a remarkable comeback after a decade of decline. HUD’s more than $15 million investment in Mountain View, through Community Development Block Grants, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Neighborhood Stabilization and economic development funding, has been leveraged with public and private support to create affordable housing, a library, job creation, a recreation center and the Alaska Museum of Natural History.
Henriquez will also meet with Executive Director of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) Dan Fauske and members of his team today. AHFC has been a significant force in ensuring Alaskans have access to safe, decent, affordable housing.
Later in the week, Henriquez will travel to Barrow to meet with officials at Illisagvik College and the Tagiugmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority, who have partnered with the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC), located on the University’s campus. Since HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s visit to Alaska in the Spring of 2009, HUD’s Anchorage Field Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies in Alaska have been working with native villages and CCHRC to identify ways that Federal agencies can promote the development of housing units and products more sustainable in and suitable for Alaska’s Arctic and sub-Arctic climates.
Henriquez will end her Alaskan tour in Fairbanks meeting with members of the Association of Alaska Housing Authorities and tour and meet with officials of the CCHRC.
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HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov
Contact:
Donna White
(202) 708-0685