The sun shone brightly over the playground near Betsy Ross Circle in Milford, Delaware.

At the Housing Our Relatives Summit last month in Anchorage, Alaska, participants did more than attend panels and presentations. They rolled up their sleeves, shared lived experiences and worked together to develop practical strategies for advancing Native-led housing and economic development solutions. 

Affordable Homes & Communities, better known as AHC, broke ground this week on a new project with Goodwill of Greater Washington, the first of its kind in the U.S.

There was a moment during the Spenard Walking Tour in Anchorage, Alaska, when the entire purpose of the Housing Our Relatives Summit clicked for me. 

It was not during a housing finance discussion. Or even while we were talking about development during the first-of-its-kind event, which was hosted by NeighborWorks® America, Oweesta Corporation and the National American Indian Housing Council. 

When people talk about affordable housing in America, the conversation usually sounds familiar: rising rents, limited inventory, labor shortages and growing demand. 

In Alaska, the challenges are all of those things and then some. 

At this year’s National American Indian Housing Council conference in Anchorage, Alaska, national housing leaders came together for a candid conversation about partnership, housing policy and the importance of Native-led solutions in shaping the future of Indian housing. 

NeighborWorks® America's Sustainable Business Initiative helps community-based NeighborWorks organizations strengthen their foundations and grow revenue. In 2024, the SBI provide seed grants to seven network organizations with promising earned revenue strategies. Over the next few weeks, as part of Small Business Month, NeighborWorks will highlight some of those outcomes.

At NHS of Southern Nevada, staff members and residents are breaking bread and spotlighting homeownership. 

Neighborhood Housing Services of Oklahoma is hosting a tea with a focus on strategies for financial planning. 

And in Massachusetts, Nuestra Communidad Development Corp. is hosting a Summer Fest and Resource Fair.

For many organizations across the NeighborWorks® network, housing conversations center around affordability, supply and rising costs. In Alaska, those conversations also include isolation, shrinking population, disappearing industries, extreme weather conditions and the reality that even keeping existing affordable housing ready residents can feel fragile.