Last Thursday the Haines housing group met to discuss how to survey the community and gather data that will help the group address the housing shortage in Haines.
HEDC’s Cindy Jimenez is writing the survey, and she received many suggestions. Proposed additions included finding out what percentage of household income residents spend on rents, when some owners would plan on moving out of their homes due to aging, health or job changes, and what type and size of housing people are looking for.
According to Jimenez’s research, the median home price in Haines is $284.000. For a one bedroom home the median price is $177.000. These smaller houses are in high demand, and their price has increased 36% since 2021. The average yearly income in Haines was $42.000 in 2021.
30% of income is the threshold beyond which housing is not considered affordable. For someone earning the average income, this works out to spending $1.064 per month.
With the advent of online platforms, many residents have started offering space for short term rental that might have previously been available to long term renters. Here is borough assembly member Tyler Huling speaking about her experience as a renter:
“My time as a renter has happened to coincide with the great shift to AirBNB, when you are in the phase of life when you are no longer willing to move with the seasons, but also maybe not buying a house yet, it makes it literally impossible to stay here, because all of the houses that used to be long term rentals are now AirBNBs”
There are currently 47 permits issued for vacation rentals. On the other hand three hotels have closed in the last few years and been converted to housing.
The group also discussed finding out how many more units exist and whether owners would consider renting them long term.
Here is planning commissioner Rob Goldberg
“There may be enough existing housing now that is not being used, that we can encourage people to rent their place on a year round basis. There are people who have an accessory dwelling unit, like an apartment above the garage, or a cabin in the backyard, and we’ve given out permits for people to use these as vacation rentals, but in some of the zones, like the single residential, I think Mud Bay, also maybe Lutak, you are not allowed to rent that out on a year round basis. And if we made that change to code, then maybe we could free up some more housing for people to be able to rent.”
Other topics discussed included making borough land available for purchase by young people, and offering community ed classes so those first time buyers can learn how to build their own homes. A parcel near mount Riley is being considered for subdividing and a geological assessment has been performed, the results will not be available for some months.
A rental assistance program known as Section 8 that is not currently available to Haines residents could provide much help to low income households, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development could be made to fund construction of some affordable housing units. At this point the department says Haines does not qualify for funding.
The housing group survey will be available online on the site Survey Monkey.
The group is considering different strategies to ensure residents fill it out, including prizes or discounts at local stores.
A link will be provided on our website when the survey comes out.
