Photo Description: Foundation Program Officer Deborah Vo, center, joins Sitka Homeless Coalition staff and volunteers for the ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of Hítx’i Sáani, the Coalition’s new long-term permanent housing community. (Photo courtesy of Daily Sitka Sentinel, James Poulson)
The turning points, partnerships, and local grit behind a new model for rural housing solutions.
When Sitka Homeless Coalition formed in 2017, its volunteers wanted to do more than slap a band-aid on homelessness in their community.
“The idea was, instead of keeping people homeless by building a shelter or something [temporary], they wanted permanent supportive housing,” explained Carla Contreras, services coordinator for the coalition. “That was where the idea of little houses came from.”
Twelve tiny homes that provide permanent housing for individuals, no strings attached: What was once a dream is now a reality with the Hítx’i Sáani (“Little Houses”) project, which opened in December 2025. Similar to other “micro communities” that have cropped up in Anchorage and outside of Alaska as part of a solution to homelessness, Hítx’i Sáani is nevertheless unique — but it’s an idea with the potential to be replicated in other communities.
Here’s what made it work in Sitka.
Everyone deserves a home
The coalition started with what they didn’t want. The small staff and its volunteers didn’t want to offer temporary housing that required residents to meet certain standards to maintain housing.
They knew that most of the people in Sitka in need of housing were individuals — and homes for single people were both scarce and in high demand. While the community operates a domestic violence shelter and an emergency shelter, neither is a year-round option that’s always appropriate for individual situations.
It was a former head of the coalition, Gayle Young, who began reaching out to other Alaska communities and cities across the U.S. to learn about the Housing First model. Rooted in the idea that everyone deserves a permanent home, Housing First does not require people to engage in specific services, be or remain sober, or meet any other standards to keep their home.
This was an idea the coalition — and Sitka — could get behind: Homes for everyone, regardless of their circumstances.
“It’s truly low barrier housing,” said Sitka Homeless Coalition Executive Director Michelle Snowden. “When you are housed and no longer trying every day to survive, then you can focus on healing.”
Turning point
In Sitka, homelessness is both highly visible and hidden.
The coalition’s program director, Sadie Cowles, shared that, “Everyone knows everybody, so it can be very visible. But also, because it’s a small town, it’s really easy to not see because we have a population of unsheltered and unhoused people who hang out in certain areas. If you’re attuned to it, you can see it, but it’s also very easy to ignore.”
One of those “certain areas” was an undeveloped 16-acre lot at the end of Jarvis Street owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (the Trust). With fundraising support, the coalition secured a 35-year lease on the land, with a bold idea in mind. Inspired by a mini community of tiny homes in Juneau that provides permanent housing for people facing chronic homelessness, the coalition proposed to build its own mini community of 12 houses.
“Securing the land — that was a huge turning point,” said Snowden.
The Trust also funded a feasibility study and planning report that laid out a roadmap to creating a mini community. The report recommended building partnerships to help support the project. It also hinted at the potential of Hítx’i Sáani’s influence on other projects.
“[The Trust] recognizes that the successful completion of this project could be used as a new model in other rural communities as a solution to meeting housing needs,” wrote former coalition executive director Andrew Hinton.
Asking questions, finding partners
One of the strengths of the coalition’s staff was that they knew what they didn’t know.
“Andrew would be like, ‘Here’s what I’ve got. Here’s what I don’t know how to do. Can anybody help?’” recalled Snowden. “He talked to people who write grants, and they know things; they know someone who knows someone, who happens to know someone else who’s doing this work in Juneau. Before you know it, you have a good connection in Juneau.”
With backing from funders like the Trust and Rasmuson Foundation, Hinton added in his final report on the project, the coalition strengthened partnerships with other community organizations, including Sitka Tribe of Alaska. “Having [this] backing gave other local donors and community partners the confidence to contribute, knowing the project was financially viable and professionally managed,” he wrote.
The special sauce that made the project truly come together, though, was the Sitka community. The Sitka Homeless Coalition itself started as a single person handing out warm socks to homeless locals, then blossomed into a coalition.
“That’s the spirit that has continued,” Snowden said. “The coalition didn’t build [Hítx’i Sáani] ourselves; we had help. Our shared vision and the volunteers here are what made this possible.”
Creating home
What was once an undeveloped patch of woods where homeless people constructed makeshift shelters against Sitka’s relentless rain is now a community of twelve, 14-by-12-foot cedar-sided tiny homes. Residents are individuals who experienced chronic homelessness; they came to Hítx’i Sáani through a coordinated entry process between Sitka nonprofits and organizations.
Each tiny home has a bedroom and kitchen area with a twin bed, counterspace, a two-burner hot plate, a sink, refrigerator/freezer, and cabinets. At the back of each home is a private bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower.
“Residents have experienced unstable housing for so long, it’s almost like they’re in shock that they get a place where they can take a shower — things that weren’t available to them before,” said Contreras. “We’re in this stage of making them feel comfortable and being there to support them.”
There’s evidence that it’s starting to settle in: In most of the homes, residents have begun to hang art they have created themselves.
“That, to me, shows that they have a safe place — to be able to create something,” Snowden said. “There’s a lot of ownership in the homes, a lot of care, and a lot of joy for the place they’re living.”
A place to dream from
Now that people are settling into their new, permanent homes, they’ve begun to dream up a future for their community. Hítx’i Sáani residents are brainstorming projects like a smoke shed for fish. They’re excited about the coalition’s plot at the Jarvis Street Community Garden, where they’ll be able to farm their own vegetables this spring.
The coalition has plans for the future, too. A supportive, wraparound services building will provide a thirteenth living space, along with communal areas that include a larger kitchen and laundry. The central building will also house services like wellness programs, life skills training, and counseling.
In the spirit of Housing First, these resources, along with other services the coalition offers, will always be available for Hítx’i Sáani residents — but never required.
“The Hítx’i Sáani project has successfully transitioned from a community vision into a life-saving reality,” Hinton wrote in his final grant report. “The impact is visible, not just in the physical structures, but in the ‘mindset change’ of hope observed in our new residents.”
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