Alaska’s subsidized housing programs are administered by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC). AHFC offers two main subsidized housing programs for low-income individuals with disabilities, seniors, and families: section 8 vouchers and public housing. Section 8 vouchers are provided directly to recipients and cover all or part of the rent the recipient pays to a private landlord. Public housing provides a recipient with an apartment in a housing complex owned and operated by AHFC; the recipient must still pay rent, but that rent is capped at thirty percent of the recipient’s income. 

Eligibility for subsidized housing is based on family size and income. To qualify for a Section 8 voucher, families usually need an income below 50 percent of the median income in the area in which they live. To qualify for public housing, families usually need an income below 80 percent of the median income in the area in which they live. Information about current income limits can be found here.

Section 8 vouchers are available to residents of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su, Petersburg, Sitka, Soldotna, Valdez, and Wrangell. Public housing is available in Anchorage, Bethel, Cordova, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su, Nome, Seward, Sitka, Valdez and Wrangell. 

No. Subsidized housing is a limited resource, and not everyone who qualifies will be able to receive subsidized housing. There are wait lists for both Section 8 vouchers and public housing in most communities, and applicants may only apply when the wait lists are “open,” or accepting new applications. Some categories of applicants may be given preference over others. Information about which wait lists are currently open can be found here.

Applications to join the wait lists for available subsidized housing programs are available here and can be completed and returned to the AHFC housing program office in your area. There is a list of offices and their contact information included in the application. 

Recipients of subsidized housing are required to periodically rectify their eligibility for housing. The frequency and requirements of recertification procedures vary depending on which subsidized housing program a recipient is participating in; if you obtain subsidized housing, you should ask AHFC for details of the recertification process for your program.