Dear Board Members,

I want to lay before you a vision for this next year, specifically regarding our next adventure in housing. In all honesty – it is an obvious step for Kelli and I, but we have been living with the idea for over a year now. But first a story.

We first met Shae at the age of 17 after she was brought by an OCS caseworker, having been asked to leave her foster care placement. Born in Fairbanks to parents who were both addicted to drugs and physically and mentally abusive, she spent 7 years in foster care and 2 years in psychiatric treatment facilities before coming to The Door. She was brought to The Door ‘until another placement could be found’….that was April, 2017. She has stayed with us off and on since then and is currently  with us, but bumping up against her 19th birthday soon; something she has a lot of anxiety about. She is not a good candidate for the FRM.

In early fall we advocated with her and on her behalf for a housing voucher when one came available. [(There is a limited number assigned to Fairbanks at this time) She qualifies because of her developmental and intellectual disabilities – as well as the fact that she is technically ‘chronically homeless’]. The housing voucher was awarded to her. Since that time, Kelli has been helping her, unsuccessfully to date, find an apartment. Two weeks ago, I asked her how apartment hunting was going. She looked straight at me and said, “Marylee, I’m scared. I don’t want to live alone.”

For you and I, a natural development to our growing up might have been that we lived with our parents, then moved away to school – into dorms or housing units with multiple peers. We may have joined another in marriage…still living with another aged “peer” and hanging out with peer age friends.

No matter our choice, most of us will have lived in a communal setting prior to living on our own, but away from family.

The transition from emergency shelter to apartment (or from streets to an apartment, or couch surfing to an apartment, etc.) for many of our youth, is not an appropriate progression. There are too many steps in between that need to happen for a youth to be successful. This community needs transitional age youth housing first type projects – ultimately multiple projects so that youth have choices. For example 1) scattered apartment sites around town, and 2) congregate living homes where they have their own bedroom but access communal spaces.

Developing housing is not a decision about whether this is a good business decision. This is a ….it’s the right thing to do decision. This is our moral and ethical responsibility decision. The community is looking to us to do this, the youth are looking to us to do this and we are in a position to do this. To not do this, in my opinion, is to ignore our mission and our responsibilities.

Does it need to be able to to be sustainable? Of course. Does it fund itself? Minimally. Do I know what the program looks like? No, I don’t. But I don’t need to at this time. I have learned to trust the process and realize it is a journey. We have been here before. We bought 138 Tenth without a plan. Following the purchase, many things dictated the decisions that we made and influenced the program that we now have – that we could not have foreseen at the time of purchasing (May of 2011) the property now known as The Door.

Do I know the timeline? No, I don’t. But I don’t need to know that at this time. I have some inclination…..For example

January: Purchase an appropriate house.
Rent rooms, or not, to college students, or others, until June 1,

January – May: continue to participate in developmental trainings with Technical Assistance folks,

Summer 2019: upgrade any physical changes to house,

Summer/fall 2019: apply to appropriate Notice Of Funding Opportunities (NOFAs) with the CoC (Continuum of Care) and or FYSB (Family Youth Services Bureau).

Late fall, 2019, begin to provide housing opportunities to TAY youth, 1 youth at a time.

Random pieces of information:

Need:

“In an average year, approximately how many youth, ages 18-22 are you aware of that are in need of housing, with major barriers to housing and less barriers to housing?”

OCS: 6 with major barriers, 8 with less barriers (youth transitioning out of foster care)

FNA/SOAP: 97 with major, 25 or so with less barriers

HUDD has asked that Fairbanks increase housing units by a minimum of 15 within the next 12-18 months.

Ten years ago, we started with wanting to serve this population but realized that it wasn’t our point of entry for serving the community. This proposed project isn’t mission drift, it’s the mission continues.

We are not alone in this venture. We don’t have to create this program from scratch. There are models. But program decisions are something you can trust Kelli and me with.

In conclusion:

The main decision before the board, in my opinion, is whether or not to move forward with the purchase of a facility. I think you can trust me to not randomly purchase. I will seek sound advise, have our board member Dave Miller preview, have an engineer walk through etc.

Last January, the board gave me the directive: “Engage in community partnerships to move forward with Rapid ReHousing program in Fairbanks.” Having done this, I feel we are ready to take the next step and make an offer on a property. I cannot write grants asking for program money if we don’t have a location.

I realize this is a heavy topic that you will consider thoughtfully.

I have also included an offer of a proposal to finance, by Denali State Bank. At the time, I had 4820 Drake St. property in mind, however – I learned this evening that an offer was made on the house – the sellers have until Sunday 6:00pm to decide. The rate of finance being offered (by several lending institutions) was 6.75%, so to offer us 6.5% is a generous move on their part; they believe in our mission.

Marylee