The Kenaitze Indian and Salamatof tribes are building 36 new apartments for Native elders in Kenai. They hope to welcome their first residents next year.
On Friday, golden shovels hit the ground in a clearing near the intersection of Redoubt Avenue and North Forest Drive. Mounds of dirt flanked the path of a planned road and bundles of pipe and heavy equipment sat off to the side. Trees cover the rest of the 158.2 acres.
Kaarlo Wik chairs the group building the project, which is backed by $16.7 million in federal grants and local matching funds.
“Actually making it real is exciting to see,” he said. “And just like we see it today, in a year from now we’re going to see houses. A little after that, we’re going to be handing out keys and cutting ribbons.”
Wik is a Salamatof Tribe member and is representing the Tribally Designated Housing Entity. That’s a joint housing assistance effort of the Kenaitze and Salamatof tribes.
When complete, there will be nine fourplexes for a total of 36 one- or two-bedroom apartments, open to eligible Salamatof, Alaska Native and American Indian elders 55 or older who already live in the area.
It’s the two tribes’ first foray into operating housing, but Wik says it’s been a goal for decades.
“Rita Smagge, Jim Segura, they're elders, founders of the tribe, they've been my mentors,” he said. “They taught me what was going on in housing, and they had a vision for senior housing, and they passed before the dream was accomplished, and I'm just really happy that this generation of leaders are able to fulfill their original vision of housing our elders ourselves.”
Two-bedroom units are expected to rent for $1,312 per month, while a one-bedroom unit will cost $1,000 per month. Applicants must make 80% or less of Alaska’s median income limit to be eligible for financial aid assistance. Tenants eligible for assistance will pay 30% of their gross monthly income toward rent. The balance will be subsidized by the joint housing group.
The units are close to other Kenaitze tribal facilities and services — about 1 mile from the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus and about 2 miles from the Dena’ina Wellness Center.
Although Kenai and Salamatof are separate tribes, Wik says there’s overlap in membership. And he says collaboration is a priority for both.
“Members of one tribe are brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers of members of the other tribe,” he said. “We are two tribes, one people. We separated when the tribes were originally founded, but they're still our family.”
More information about housing assistance offered by the tribes can be found at kenaitze.org.
