Homeowner Assistance: Interior Regional Housing Authority Helps Alaska Native Families

Interior Alaska homeowners facing pandemic-related financial strain have a dedicated resource through the Interior Regional Housing Authority (IRHA), the Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE) for the Doyon Region. Based in Fairbanks at 828 27th Avenue, IRHA administers a Homeowner Assistance program funded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, aimed specifically at enrolled tribal members who own and occupy a primary residence in the region.

The Homeowner Assistance program is designed to help qualifying households avoid mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. Beyond mortgage payments, approved funds may also be used to cover past-due property taxes, utility arrearages, and home-heating fuel costs, a critical need in interior Alaska where winter fuel bills can overwhelm household budgets. Payments are issued directly by IRHA and partner organizations to mortgage servicers, utility companies, and fuel vendors rather than to applicants, ensuring assistance reaches the bills that matter most.

To qualify, applicants must be enrolled tribal members, own and live in the home as their primary residence, and demonstrate a coronavirus-related financial hardship experienced after January 21, 2020. Household income cannot exceed U.S. Treasury maximums, and at least one household member must show direct or indirect COVID-19 financial impact along with documented risk of housing instability. Applicants can verify eligibility and begin the application process at irha.org, or call IRHA directly at (800) 478-IRHA or (907) 452-8315, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

IRHA was formed in 1974 and today serves 31 Tribes across Interior Alaska, a vast service area that stretches from Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city, to remote traditional villages in the Doyon Region. In addition to the Homeowner Assistance program, IRHA operates several long-running homeownership and rehabilitation initiatives. The Home Ownership Program (HOP) helps low-income Alaska Native and American Indian families who cannot obtain conventional financing purchase a home over a 20-year term at 4 percent interest, with Fairbanks participants required to make a minimum monthly payment of $250 or 30 percent of adjusted gross income, whichever is greater. The Home Ownership Program for Elderly (HOPE) offers similar terms on a 10-year schedule for applicants aged 62 and older. The Tribal Equity Advantage Mortgage (TEAM) program provides grants of up to 20 percent of the purchase price, capped at a home price of $300,000, to help Alaska Native and American Indian buyers in the Fairbanks area cover down payments and closing costs on single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums. IRHA's Home Rehabilitation programs in both Fairbanks and the villages focus on health, safety, and energy-efficiency improvements to existing homes, addressing what the authority describes as one of the greatest unmet housing needs in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Homeowners who do not qualify for IRHA's program but still need help can contact Alaska 2-1-1 at 1-800-478-2221 or visit alaska211.org for a statewide directory of community resources.