Alaska Housing Finance Corp.: helping Alaskans with their homes.

• Author: Sommer, Susan
• Position: Special section: 2012 CORPORATE 100 - Geographic overview

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Not much is free these days, especially when it comes to owning or renting a home. That's why Alaska Housing Finance Corp.'s free seminars on everything from energy-efficient homes to how to buy a home are such a great value and why more than 45,000 prospective home buyers have attended. Everything AHFC does as part of its mission, in fact, supports sound communities across the state.

"We're everywhere--from Barrow to Ketchikan," said AHFC's CEO and executive director Dan Fauske, who spent several years in Barrow and has a deep respect for rural life.

The Alaska State Legislature created AHFC in 1971, but the agency's roots reach back to territorial days. As Alaska's official housing authority, its mission is simple: "To provide Alaskans access to safe, quality, affordable housing." AHFC has about 320 employees, owns nearly 1,700 public housing units, and manages more than 4,000 public housing vouchers. Since 1986, it has contributed nearly $2 billion to the state's general fund. An expert financial department ensures that AHFC lives up to its financial commitment to the State of Alaska.

Besides educating Alaskans about the home buying process, AHFC provides weatherization and energy-efficiency grants, partners with other Alaska agencies such as the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, heads programs for Alaska's growing senior population, assists with home loans and tackles homelessness issues across the state. It also fosters solutions to challenges associated with housing in Alaska. For example, nurses and teachers are typically in short supply; to entice more people from these professions to live here long-term, the corporation offers them no-down-payment loans.

AHFC is "the people's organization," Fauske said. "I believe in Alaska's people."

Fauske has been with AHFC since 1995. He also is president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., an AHFC subsidiary, and serves on many boards, including as chair of the Alaska Council on Homelessness. His master's degree in business administration serves him well in all of his leadership positions. He previously worked for the North Slope Borough as chief financial officer and chief administrative officer. AHFC's recently improved credit rating on bonds by Standard & Poor, from AA to AA+, is a credit to Fauske's efforts and his strong and stable management team. The new rating makes borrowing money easier and less expensive for AHFC.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The statewide...