<\/a>Jacqueline Pata, president and CEO of the Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority, speaks to the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Tribal Assembly Thursday morning about long-term sustainable housing and financial education of Southeast Alaska residents. (Clarise Larson \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Pata spoke Thursday morning on the second day of the 88th annual Tribal Assembly. She discussed the state of the authority’s mission to offer affordable housing, financial and emergency services to Alaska Native residents and community members in Southeast Alaska.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Pata said as Alaska Native communities continue to grow and strengthen, so does the need to provide support for individuals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We’re not thinking about moving away, we’re thinking about moving home, and what does that mean? That we need more housing,” she said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Pata said THRHA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary since it was established, currently offers 410 rental units and 44 homeownership opportunity homes to Southeast Alaska families and last year provided more than $8 million in rent assistance to residents.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
It also provided repairs to 84 households, including those owned by elders, to offer mold mitigation and create increased access.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Pata said the housing authority is working on a homeowners assistance program for homeowners, who due to COVID-19-related reasons, need assistance paying their mortgages.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
She said finding solutions to grow housing can’t come from relying solely on federal funding, but it comes from the people in the community who come together to partner in this effort. She said the financial education of tribal citizens plays a pivotal role in changing the narrative of how to create long-term sustainable housing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We are at a point where we’re changing the trajectory, because through financial education of our citizens and investing in our citizens to understand their housing options, we provide those other services that they need.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Also delivering remarks was Charles Clement, president and CEO of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, who spoke of the continuing growth of the SEARCH via its current construction of a $300 million hospital in Sitka, and other projects in the works in Juneau and Southeast Alaska.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Charles Clement, president and CEO of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, speaks to the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Tribal Assembly Thursday morning about new updates and changes happening for the health consortium this year and in the future. (Clarise Larson \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Anthony Mallott, President and CEO of Sealaska Corp. and Dr. Tina Woods, senior director of Community and Behavioral Health Services spoke to the Assembly as well. Topics addressed included landless legislation and healing through culture, respectively.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t