By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Homeless Coalition has far exceeded its $25,000 fundraising goal for the end of the year, and that’s but one piece of good news that the nonprofit is sharing at year’s end.
For one, Congress has approved $1 million for the project to build a village of small houses for homeless people in Sitka. Another piece of good news is the promise of a 16.3-acre tract of land for the project at the end of Jarvis Street.
On the home front, Sitka Homeless Coalition Executive Director Andrew Hinton said he’s excited about the progress of local fundraising so far, and is looking for more.
As of today the fundraising total was around $38,000.
“We don’t have a firm goal but we’re really hoping to hit that $40,000 mark,” Hinton said today. “We’re just really excited that we reached the $25,000 and we’re hopeful to see more roll through as the year closes.”
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced late last week that she had secured congressionally directed funding for projects in Alaska, including $1 million for the Sitka Homeless Coalition project.
On Dec. 6 the AMHT resource committee recommended that the trust board make the Jarvis Street parcel available to the Sitka Homeless Coalition at $3,900 per year. The rate is much less than the appraised market rate of $31,200 because of its proposed use by trust beneficiaries.
The public comment period is through January 14, for those who “believe that the recommendation is not in the best interest with Trust management principles.” The trustees will meet to make a decision on January 24-25.
“A land lease is vital for the success of this project, and the mental health trust has been really supportive of us, and is really interested in this project and all the good it can do,” Hinton said. “It’s so crucial to get that lease in order to start creating permanent and supportive housing for folks who have been experiencing homelessness for so long and for folks that desperately need our help.”
The fundraiser at the annual homeless coalition meeting in early December raised more than $5,000, and eight of the 12 tiny houses in the proposed development have official “sponsors.” Sponsorships are $12,000. The Sitka Rotary Club offered a match for donations, up to $2,000, and the match was met in a week, the coalition said.
Hinton said winter is a good time to remind people of the need for housing.
“A lot of unhoused folks have been unhoused for a long time and they’re going through another winter right now, and they have to stay outside when there aren’t really too many services available,” Hinton said. “Many are sleeping in tents, And I’ve heard that there are folks sleeping in a bike shed. We’re conscious of how hard that must be. And we want to have a solution available by the time next winter rolls around, so they have a roof over their head somewhere warm. That is important.”
Hinton said while the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023 is indeed a huge milestone, this funding will not be available for some time, and work must continue.
“The funds being raised really help toward the costs we need early in the process, such as hiring architects, getting blueprints, and going through the permitting process so we have everything set to go,” he said.
The basic design for the neighborhood, called Hitx’i Saani (Little Houses), is for 13 little houses, each with electric service and heat, a bathroom and kitchenette. One of the cabins is for a caretaker, and a separate community center is planned which will include offices for other staff, including the executive director and part time social services staff.
“We want to make sure that they do have all the things they need,” Hinton said. “If we’re able to get people into a home, with a shower, food, a locked space they can keep their things in, then they can take the next steps toward addressing other issues such as mental health, or addiction, which has many aspects. We felt it was important to have those amenities available to them.”
Those with the greatest need for housing at this time are single men, but the housing is not exclusively for them, he said.
The Sitka Homeless Coalition was established in 2017, and attained its 501(c)3 status in 2018. In the past the organization had no staff and was run on a small budget, about $5,000 a year.
“It started with the mission of just trying to help folks in the neighborhood experiencing homelessness,” Hinton said. “We started with the showers and laundry projects – a project we still run with showers offered twice a week.”
The program took off after being named a goal of the annual Sitka Health Summit in 2021.
“After that initiative we’ve seen so much,” Hinton said. “People came on and added capacity to the project and with a vision we would provide permanent housing for citizens experiencing homelessness. And since that became our goal we’ve seen so much community support, It’s clearly something that matters to someone in Sitka enough to help their neighbors, help people that are outside and don’t have services, and we’ve come so far thanks to all the volunteer help we’ve received.”
Those wanting to donate to the project can make checks out to Sitka Homeless Coalition dba community cabin committee. Mail-in donations can be made to P.O. Box 1112, dropoff donations to 401 HPR (ALPS) or online at sheltersitka.org.
