Alaskans are twice as likely to live in an overcrowded household than the national average. Rates are highest in small, remote communities like Shaktoolik. And while the problem is perennial, the COVID-19 pandemic has made living with it much harder.
. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development defines overcrowded as more than one person to a room in the house, including the living room and kitchen, and severely overcrowded as more than 1.5 people to a room.“To be honest, in some of our places, if you’re living in a house that only has 1.5 individuals per room, that’s not going to be one of the more overcrowded houses in your community,” said Brian Wilson, executive director of the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.
Former Shaktoolik mayor and current Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority commissioner Eugene Asicksik said overcrowding leads to a host of problems in his community. Agent Reuben Paniptchuk unloads a Bering Air flight at the Shaktoolik airstrip in January 2022. Bush planes are the village’s only lifeline in the winter months, when conditions don’t allow for barge access.
“I remember the moment when they called me, and after they said I’m one of the recipients for a three-bedroom home, I started crying. I got quiet. Tears rolled down my eyes, just for, you know, happiness,” Jackson said. Shaktoolik’s four new modular homes sit in Nome’s shipyard. Recipients were chosen based on a number of criteria, including current housing conditions, veteran status, and length of time on the waitlist.
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