Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority5446 Jenkins Drive • Juneau, Alaska 99801

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSAPPOINTS JACKIE PATA AS NEW

PRESIDENT & CEO

THRHA's Board of Commissionersannounced on April 12th that it hadmade an appointment for theposition of President & CEO.

The Board of Commissioners ispleased to announce that Jackie Pataw ill take the helm at the HousingAuthority. A w ell-respected leaderacross Alaska and throughout IndianCountry, the BOC selected Ms. Patabased on her previous experience inhousing and passion for service toSoutheast communities, w hich theyfeel w ill be a signif icant asset to theHousing Authority.

Since 2001, Ms. Pata led the NationalCongress of American Indians inWashington, DC as its ExecutiveDirector. Prior to that, she served asDeputy Assistant Secretary for NativeAmerican Programs for the U.S. Dept.of Housing and Urban Developmentw here she w as responsible for theimplementation of the Native AmericanHousing Assistance and SelfDetermination Act. Previously from1989 to 1998, Ms. Pata w as theExecutive Director of THRHA and

served as Chairw oman of the NativeAmerican Indian Housing Councilw here she led the charge to reformthe Indian housing program.Preceding her appointment asPresident & CEO, Ms. Pata alsoserved as Ex-Off icio on the BOC forTHRHA.

Additionally, Ms. Pata is the SecondVice President for the CentralCouncil of the Tlingit Haida IndianTribes of Alaska and serves on avariety of national executive boards,including as a Vice President for theLeadership Conference on Civil andHuman Rights, Board Member for theGeorge Gustave Heye Center of theNational Museum of the AmericanIndian, and she has been a BoardMember at Sealaska Corporationsince 1999.

INTERM PRESIDENT& CEO LETTER

Spring is finally here! The THRHA team is busy schedulingall the outside work on our properties throughout SoutheastAlaska. We kicked off spring with the First Annual SoutheastHousing Summit in March. Congratulations to the Organized

Village of Kasaan who was the recipient of our community ofthe year award. Thank you to all who attended andparticipated in the Summit, it was a great success and weare already planning for next year’s event. THRHA hasalso begun planning for the ribbon cutting ceremony for thenewly constructed duplex in Kasaan. Kudos to the crews inboth Kasaan and Yakutat for working through the winter tobuild a duplex and a four-plex.

In January, our BOC approved a four-year strategic plan for THRHA. Staffhave been w orking during the f irstquarter to achieve our goals. One ofthose goals is to create a long-termhousing plan for each community. Wehave kicked off a housing needssurvey in all tw elve of thecommunities in w hich w e are thetribally designated housing entity.Please take a moment to f ill out thesurvey if you live in one of ourpartner communities. The link to thehousing survey is:www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEhousing.

Another goal of THRHA is toincrease f inancial and homeow nereducation for our customers. Wehave held classes in Kake, Saxman,and Juneau. More classes areplanned for our other partnercommunities. Additionally, w e arecontinuing our commitment toimprove communication and havescheduled monthly videoconferencing meetings w ith ourTribal Partners. We have alsolaunched our new and improvedw ebsite. Please visit the w ebsite atw w w .regionalhousingauthority.organd provide us w ith any feedback.

While the discussions regarding theFederal and State budgets areconcerning for our organization, w eare w orking for you to educate ourlegislators on the importance of ourprograms. We continue to seek outand secure new sources of funding.An important key to our future isforming partnerships. Partnershipsw as one of the focus topics at theSummit and w e continue to reachout and create new partnershipsthroughout Southeast in order tocreate new housing opportunities.

"I am grateful to have this opportunity to work for the people of Southeast Alaska as theInterim President & CEO of THRHA. I am very proud of our staff and their accomplishmentsover the last year, and I am looking forward to 'Planning Our Future Through Housing' with

all of you."

Richard Peterson, President of theCentral Council of the Tlingit & HaidaIndian Tribes of Alaska welcomesconference participants.

INAUGURAL SOUTHEASTHOUSING SUMMIT

HOSTED IN JUNEAU

In March, THRHA hosted the First Annual Southeast Housing Summit inJuneau. This event brought together more than 100 participants fromSoutheast Alaska to explore the theme of “Planning Our Future ThroughHousing”. Conference attendees and presenters represented a variety ofhousing-related industries that included real estate, local government,mortgage and f inance, tribal management, and Alaska Native Corporations.

Meilani Schijvens of Raincoast Datagoes over rental rates in SoutheastAlaska.

David Hansen of A-1 Alaska Hearth &Stove presents information during theSHS poster session.

“Southeast Alaska is presented w ith a variety of unique housingobstacles,” said Joyce Niven, Interim THRHA President & CEO. “Highhousing costs, low inventory, challenges w ith building and maintainingnew properties are just a few examples of the issues w e face in w orkingtow ards sustainable housing in the region."

Over the course of the tw o-day event, a variety of topics w ere presentedthat included: partnerships, community building, planning, and energyeff iciency. “We view ed this Summit as a great opportunity for netw orkingand building strong and meaningful partnerships throughout Southeast,”said Niven.

The event w as co-sponsored by a variety of sponsors that included:Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, First Bank, Pacif icRim Mechanical, Alaska Electric Light & Pow er, Corvus Design, TongassElectric, NorthWind Architects, LLC., SALT, MRV Architects, AlaskaSeaplanes, the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, Rain Coast Data,and Ikonic Communications.

For those who were unable to attend, the full schedule of events, speaker bios, and copies ofSummit presentations are available on the Summit’s website at

www.southeasthousingconference.com.

The Second Annual Housing Summit is scheduled for March 18-19, 2020 in Juneau, Alaska.

APPRENTICESCOMPLETE HEAT-PUMP TRANING INWRANGELL

THRHA is continuing its mission to support energy eff iciencyand provide career opportunities through technical and f ieldtraining apprenticeship programs that w ill help meetmaintenance needs in rural Alaska. Recently, the ApprenticeProgram completed a heat pump training in Wrangell w ithtw enty-tw o tribal member apprentices from seven differentcommunities.

This hands-on training allow ed for apprentices to installeleven heat pumps in THRHA-ow ned units, replacing oil-operated boilers that w ere at least tw enty years old. “Theheat pumps are approximately 130% more energy eff icient

Twenty-two apprentices completed the Wrangelltraining.

than the boilers,” said Lorraine DeAsis, Director of ProjectDevelopment. “Not only w ill they reduce costs, but they w illalso reduce maintenance calls and ‘no-heat’ days for ourresidents.”

This heat pump training w as the third f ield training and secondtechnical classroom training offered by THRHA. Futureprojects also include installing hybrid heat pumps and electrichot w ater heaters to completely remove the oil-basedsystems. “I’ve been w aiting a long time for this training to beoffered,” said Yakutat plumbing apprentice, Mike Alfred. “Itw as a lot of fun, w e all learned a lot, and through this projectw e w ere able to make a difference.”

Apprentices received hands-on training to learnhow to install heat pumps.

Field trainers w ere Yakutat tribal citizens Kris Karsunky and Derek James, construction business ow ners in Sitka. Inaddition to providing the hands-on training, they also helped w rite a step-by-step installation instruction manual thatw as distributed to all participants.

THRHA began offering apprenticeship programs in March of 2018. Currently, programs are offered in plumbing andelectrical. “We saw that there w as a need in our outlying Southeast communities w hen w e w ere trying to f indlicensed technicians to do w ork in those communities. We w ere also coming across previously completed projectsthat w ere not up to code,” said Lorraine.

ORGANIZED VILLAGE OF KASSANRECEIVES COMMUNITY PARTNER

OF THE YEAR AWARD

At the First Annual Southeast Housing Summit, theOrganized Village of Kasaan received THRHA’s 2019Community Partner of the Year Aw ard. “Kasaan’spopulation has grow n by 63% since 2010, largely in

The aw ard w as given in recognition of Kasaan’sforw ard thinking planning, innovation, and creativitythat they have exhibited in support of communityhousing. “Kasaan has been able to leverage their

part to the w ork that the Tribe has done to sparkeconomic development,” said Joyce Niven, THRHA’sInterim President & CEO. “As a Tribal Partner, Kasaanhas been a model partner.”

NAHASDA (Native American Housing Assistance andSelf-Determination Act) funding w ith other creativefunding opportunities for the advancement of theirTribal members,” said Joyce.

“Congratulations to Kassanfor this remarkable

achievement!”

EMPLOYEE NEWS

PATRICK MARVIN has joined

THRHA as a Customer Service Specialist inthe Housing Department. In this role, he isresponsible for responding to customerquestions and requests, resolvingconcerns, and providing additional supportto the Housing Department as needed. Alifelong Alaskan, Patrick previously w orkedat True North Federal Credit Union in

Juneau. "If anyone is unsure aboutthe housing options THRHAprovides, needs help completing anapplication, or w ould like to check onthe status of their currentapplication, I w ould be happy tohelp,” said Patrick. He can bereached directly at (907) 780-3119or pmarvin@thrha.org.

GALADRIEL “GLADE”

MORALES has joined THRHA as itsnew Grant Administrator. In this newposition, Glade is responsible foradministering THRHA’s grant activitiesincluding preparing grant applications,performing prospect research on potentialgrant opportunities, and monitoring grantprograms. “I’m excited to partner w ith our

Tribal partners and w ork tow ardsproviding the best for all of ourstakeholders,” said Glade. Born andraised in Sitka, she has a master’sdegree from The University ofAlaska Southeast. Glade can bereached at gmorales@thrha.org or(907) 780-3130.

NIIMA RADFORD joined THRHA

as a Customer Service Specialist in theHousing Department. In this position, she isresponsible for providing customer serviceto tenants for all rental programs and unitsow ned and managed by THRHA. “I am soexcited to be a part of the Housing Authorityteam. If anyone has questions

about any of our programs orservices, or needs help completingan application, I w elcome them tocontact me directly.” Niima w as bornand raised in Los Angeles butmoved to Alaska about f ive yearsago. Niima can be reached at (907)780-3114 or nradford@thrha.org.

THRHAUNVEILS

STRATEGICPRIORITIES

THRHA recently unveiled its three-year StrategicPlan. “We are pleased to be able to share theHousing Authority’s vision with our communitiesand tribal partners,” said Desiree Jackson,Director of Tribal Services. “This strategic planprovides THRHA team members with goals thatwill help strengthen the programs and serviceswe offer.”

LIHEAP PROVIDES $530K INHEATING AID THIS WINTER

THRHA’s Low Income Housing Energy AssistanceProgram (LIHEAP) had a busy w inter season. Todate, the team has processed and approved 885applications and distributed $530,130 in heatingassistance to sixteen communities throughoutSoutheast Alaska. “We have about 230 applicationspending or that have been marked as incomplete asw e are w aiting for clients to return information anddocuments that are required for us to process theapplications,” said Tribal Services Program

and processing applications through May 15th sothere is still time to apply for anyone w ho needsassistance.”

The program, w hich is federally funded, is availableto both Native and non-Native families. It provides aone-time benefit to eligible households to assist w ithhome energy heating costs. The amount of the benefitis determined by household income, household size,fuel type, and geographic location.

Coordinator Megan Gregory. “We w ill be accepting

To learn more about the program or to apply,visit https://www.regionalhousingauthority.org/improve-your-home/low-income-energy-

assistance-program-liheap/.

For questions, contact Energy Staff at (907) 780-6100 or via email at energy@thrha.org

THRHA AWARDED NEW GRANTS

THRHA is pleased to announce that it w asrecently aw arded an Alaska HousingFinance Corporation supplemental grant inthe amount of $646,800. This grant, w hichw as the highest aw arded amount in theState of Alaska, w ill allow THRHA toupgrade heating systems (including boilersand/or heat pumps) for 113 unitsthroughout the 12 communities that THRHAserves.

Additionally, THRHA received a $750,000 grant from the FederalHome Loan Bank (FHLB). This grant is part of the AffordableHousing Program specif ically for the Home-ow nership HousingRehab project. This project targets all 12 THRHA communities andw ill provide renovation of 30 ow ner-occupied homes at the totalcost of $1.5 million. This grant w ill allow THRHA to providerehabilitation to these homes that include safety upgrades,accessibility improvements, increased energy eff iciency, and w illalso help to eliminate environmental hazards.

STUDENT HOUSINGVOUCHER PROGRAM

Applications are acceptedApril 15th-June 15th

THRHA began accepting on April 15th Student HousingVoucher Program applications for the 2019-20academic year. To be eligible for the program, studentsmust be an enrolled Tribal citizen, meet certain incomerestrictions, be enrolled as a full-time student at anaccredited college, university, or vocational school, andmaintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.

“This past academic year, we awarded 42students with housing assistance,” saidMegan Gregory, Tribal Services ProgramCoordinator. “These awards amounted toover $55,000 in scholarships.”

Applications are accepted through June 15th of eachyear and students may qualify for up to $1,500 persemester or $3,000 per year w ith a lifetime maximum of$12,000 over 8 semesters," said Megan. “We w ill beaccepting applications electronically. We are hopefulthat this effort w ill help streamline check requests andthe application process for new and returningstudents.”

Part-time students w ith a minimum of nine credits persemester may be eligible for 50% of the maximumassistance.

For questions, contact Megan Gregory at(907) 780-6100

or via email at shvp@thrha.org

To learn more, visit https://www.regionalhousingauthority.org/student-housing-voucher/

UPCOMING EVENTSApril 15th - Student Housing Voucher Program application period opens

April 24th – Wrangell Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ the Nolan Center

April 30th – Juneau Financial Cent$ 6:30-8:30 pm @ THRHA

May 1st – Angoon Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ Senior Building

May 2nd - Juneau/Douglas Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ THRHA

May 8th – Craig/Klawock Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ Klawock Elderly Building

May 9th – Kasaan Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm Location TBA

May 14th – Petersburg Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm Location TBA

May 15th – LIHEAP Application Deadline

May 22nd – Saxman Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ Saxman Elderly Building

May 29th – Yakutat Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm @ Sunrise Building

May 30th – Juneau/ Douglas 2nd Financial Cent$ class 6:00-8:00 pm @ THRHA

June 14th – Kake Financial Cent$ 2:00-4:00 pm @ Elderly Building

June 15th – Student Housing Voucher Program Application Deadline

June 18th – Haines Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm Location TBA

June 19th- Skagway Financial Cent$/ Maintenance 6:00-8:00 pm Location TBA

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