Carol's Message
Dear Friends,
Thanks to support from so many of you, Cook Inlet Housing Authority has launched another major initiative: our desire to provide quality affordable housing, a very real concern with decreasing land availability and ultimately a commitment to overall quality of life in Anchorage has led us to a substantial neighborhood revitalization effort.
We're proud and excited to announce that this fall and early winter, as phase one of Cook Inlet Housing Authority's revitalization efforts in Mountain View are realized, families in need of quality affordable housing will move into 20 brand-new single-family homes and 16 completely renovated apartment units where dilapidated, unattractive and unsafe structures once stood.
How did we get here, you ask? About 4 years ago Cook Inlet Housing began listening to the community and studying the neighborhood of Mountain View. In our efforts to learn about the community we've found many Mountain View families who are passionate in their desire to preserve the character and build upon the good neighbor qualities that once defined their neighborhood.
Many Anchorage natives remember a time when Mountain View was a neighborhood of choice for young families who were just starting out. Did you know that only 15 years ago, Mountain View received the award for "USA Neighborhood of the Year?"
Many current Mountain View residents take pride in their neighborhood and they have faith that the community can once again thrive as a neighborhood of choice for other hard-working people like themselves.
While always considering the character and history of the neighborhood, careful, well-planned, positive change is very simply the right thing to do.
Fundamental to the success of Mountain View is to foster a neighborhood where families thrive, children are raised and memories are built in safe, warm homes to be proud of. Suitable housing is an indispensable component of healthy neighborhoods, families and communities. "Home" lays the foundation for a decent education, access to jobs and general economic and social stability.
Unfortunately, today, for some, Mountain View is a neighborhood of last resort with only 20% homeownership and a significant number of absentee landlords. Worse, existing residents of Mountain View are paying exorbitant rent for housing that is, frankly, not safe.
In fact, we purchased small single family homes that have been serving as multi-unit dwellings occupied by as many as five families. Individuals are paying as much as $400 a month just to rent a room. Sadly, they have been content just to have a place to live -- no matter the deplorable condition.
We want to change these living conditions and believe that setting a quality design standard for affordable housing in Mountain View will serve as a catalyst for improving lives and the neighborhood.
All of us at Cook Inlet Housing truly believe that Mountain View is a neighborhood of opportunity -- for families and our community.
While maintaining affordability, our homes will offer safety and quality of life through a variety of design strategies including winter design elements, landscaping, lighting, porches and open floor plans that promote healthy community and stable families.
Our designs and renovations will build upon the character of Mountain View and the quality family life it has historically fostered. We are excited about our investment in Mountain View because it fully embraces every value in our mission -- to provide quality housing that promotes healthy communities, economic development, independence and partnering.
The construction of these new homes in Mountain View, through the significant efforts and support of our partners, will create jobs while promoting and delivering positive change to the neighborhood. We are proud to be a leader in this effort and look forward to continuing this effort with the assistance of our valued partners.
Carol Gore