With the new housing project in Anaktuvuk Pass, 10 families will get a housing unit this year

In Anaktuvuk Pass, dozens of residents will soon be able to access new housing, local officials said.

The Anaktuvuk Pass 10-plex is scheduled to be completed at the end of September, and tenants should be able to move in before November, said Barbara Benson, deputy director of the North Slope Borough Housing Department. The borough anticipates the 10-plex to house about 10 families, or between 30 and 50 people, she said.

“A few years ago, when Anaktuvuk Pass first heard about it, it was exciting news, and a lot of families were excited, and they got anxious and they couldn’t wait,” said Anaktuvuk Pass resident and deputy adviser at the North Slope Borough mayor’s office, Susan Mekana-Morry. “Having a 10-plex rental unit, it’s been long overdue, and the young ones, they’re feeling optimistic and they’re looking forward to being awarded a unit.”

The project is a step towards addressing the severe overcrowding across the region, Benson said.

“There is a significant shortage of housing in every community on the North Slope, with housing needs continuing to grow as our communities and families expand,” Benson said.

So far, the borough received 16 applications for the new Anaktuvuk Pass 10-plex, and they expect to receive even more as the project nears completion, Benson said. The Housing Department will award units, prioritizing families who experience severe overcrowding, particularly multigenerational households, Benson said

“Families with 10 or more members are given higher priority over those with fewer members,” she said.

Mekana-Morry said that a lot of the applicants are young families who live in overcrowded single-family homes with two or three generations.

The housing complex can give them a chance to “move away from their parents and adult on their own, have their own space because they have families of their own,” she said.

Rent for one unit is set at $600 per month, including heating and water. Tenants will be responsible for their electric bills, Benson said.

The North Slope Borough will handle all maintenance and repairs for the units.

The design of the Anaktuvuk Pass 10-plex began in 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic lengthened the construction process, Benson said. Transporting materials to the Anaktuvuk Pass location without permanent road access was also a challenge, she said. The department used the Community Winter Access Trail and chartered cargo flights.

The project was funded through multiple sources, including the COVID-19 relief, the American Rescue Plan Act funding, as well as General Obligation bonds and general fund operating dollars, Benson said.

In addition to the Anaktuvuk Pass project, the borough recently completed the 10-plexes in Point Hope and Nuiqsut, and the eight-plexes in Point Lay and Atqasuk. Those were modular-built units, which meant that modules were manufactured outside and were delivered to the site.

The Anaktuvuk Pass 10-plex is, in turn, the only stick-built complex among the new projects, built from scratch on the spot, Benson said.

Mekana-Morry said that because the borough used the stick-built method of construction, some residents were able to get on-the-job training.

The North Slope Borough Capital Improvements Projects Management team is planning future housing projects in Wainwright, Kaktovik and Utqiagvik.

While projects like the Anaktuvuk Pass 10-plex won’t solve the overcrowding issue fully, it is a step toward bettering the situation, and the community is thankful for that, Mekana-Morry said.

“It’ll help some families, but it’s not going to help all the families, because there are more than 10,” she said. “It’s always going to be a need in our village. I just hope they continue to address it, whether it’s through new housing development, (or through) subdivisions in our village.”