The AKPIRG Advocate, September 2026
Help us explore alternative homeownership! 🏡
Alaska needs more housing and a new way to solve housing issues. Can limited-equity co-operatives be part of the solution? Help us find out by supporting our research goals!
AKPIRG is interested in learning more about how Limited Equity Co-op (LEC) housing could address housing affordability in Anchorage. A housing co-op is an alternative pathway to homeownership where a property is collectively owned by residents who own shares in the property rather than owning individual units. By having alternative pathways to homeownership like LECs, residents are empowered to organize and combine resources to make housing available to more of our neighbors.
But we need your help! Help us send Nithya, our Anchorage Housing Organizer, to a training on alternative homeownership in New York City, where they'll have access to national experts and a cohort of learners from communities across the country. Nithya will use this training to assess how political and financial institutions in Alaska can better support LECs, and publish a report of the southcentral region’s “readiness” for limited-equity co-operative housing.
Ballot Builder Tool 🗳️
The upcoming election is a crucial one, and it’s only a couple months away. This year, we’re determining our US Senator, US and State Representatives, Governor, multiple judges, and making big decisions about the structure of our voting system in Alaska. It can be hard to keep track of everything that’s on the ballot, let alone staying informed on every candidate's stances and what each ballot measure would actually do.
That’s why we’re so excited to share a powerful tool that will keep you up to date, informed, and prepared to make an educated decision at the ballot this year. The Alaska Voter Hub has created a ballot builder tool that provides all of the information you need to know. All you need to do is enter your address, and the tool will make a mock ballot that shows you exactly what you’ll be voting for in the upcoming election.
You’ll also be provided with a profile for each candidate, which will show you their general stances on issues like the economy, education, energy & environment, voting & elections, and more. For ballot measures, the tool shows you the proposed referendums in their entirety so you’ll know exactly what you’re deciding on before Election Day.
Additionally, the tool gives you details about your districts, shows you all the important dates, and even points you in the right direction to find your polling place. The most effective voter is an informed voter, so share this tool with family and friends so they can make informed choices at the ballot this year.
Let’s House Alaska:
It’s Time to Build our Future
In July 2026, AKPIRG and Housing Alaskans Public-Private Partnerships (HAPPP) launched Let’s House Alaska. The mission is simple: Build political will to solve Alaska’s housing shortage.
We know it will take a combination of policies to solve the housing shortage. That’s why Let’s House Alaska doesn’t endorse a specific candidate or policy agenda. Instead, we broadly share our ideas and we mobilize a network of housing champions who are signed onto our vision statement to show our electeds that Alaska has a housing shortage, there’s more that our policymakers can do to solve it, and we want them to take action in 2027.
We know that Alaska already has many of the tools we need to fix this – land, builders, capital, and cross-sector leaders. What we need is a proactive, public-private housing plan that ties every program, every investment, and every initiative to a shared framework and set of goals. And we need a Governor and Legislature that coordinates our existing assets and brings in new tools to accelerate housing development. That’s why showing your support for Let’s House Alaska is critical.
If you're an Alaskan who wants housing action from our policymakers, please take 2-minutes to sign our statement today and share our message with your friends, neighbors, and networks. You can also amplify our message by sharing housing questions with Gubernatorial and Legislative candidates and telling us your story of how the housing shortage impacts your business or community. Be sure to follow Let’s House Alaska to stay in touch with us through the election and beyond.
The Final Two Episodes of Pipe Dreams Season 1!
In episode 4 & 5 of Pipe Dreams, we’re looking at what the back-and-forth in the Alaska Legislature's three special sessions has been all about and where we ended up with AKLNG.
Glenfarne wants AKLNG to be exempt from Alaska’s oil and gas property tax, instead replacing it with an “Alternative Volumetric Tax,” or AVT. The AVT would be based on the amount of gas that flows through the project, and could amount to a tax break worth up to $22 billion over the next 30 years for Glenfarne.
The Legislature and Governor were unable to agree on a bill to give Glenfarne its desired tax break. A central issue was a lack of trust. A second major issue was AKLNG’s likely short-term impact on the state budget. Without the passage of the legislation Glenfarne says it needs, we’ll look at a few possibilities for the future of the project.
With these two videos, we conclude our first season of Pipe Dreams! AKLNG is likely to remain the subject of intense legislative and public debate in Alaska. Whatever happens next, you can count on AKPIRG to keep you informed and up to date.
A Closer Look at Neeraazhii:
We Are Healing 💚
Earlier this summer, AKPIRG’s Language Access Team hosted Neeraazhii: We Are Healing, a gathering that brought language panelists and community members from across Alaska together in Gwichyaa Zhee.
Today, we’re sharing a glimpse of the healing energy that radiated throughout the gathering through song, dance, traditional knowledge, and connection.
This is only a brief look at the experience of Neeraazhii: We Are Healing, but we hope a little of that healing energy reaches you too.
Mahsì’ choo to our partners and sponsors - Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government, St Joseph Fund, Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, Native Village of Atka, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Southcentral Foundation, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Native Movement, Wright Air, and Alaska Airlines.
Board Retreat Recap ✨
Last month, AKPIRG’s newly elected board gathered in Anchorage for their first board retreat. As a statewide organization, the board retreat was a special opportunity for board members to meet one another and our program leads in-person to discuss AKPIRG values and priorities, and start work on our next 5 year strategic plan. Thank you to our amazing board for their time and stewardship of AKPIRG.
