About Habitat for Humanity Anchorage

In January 1991, a group of Anchorage residents who believed in helping people help themselves began organizing to establish Habitat for Humanity Anchorage. HFHA officially affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International in June 1992 and works with people who live in substandard conditions, volunteers and donors throughout Anchorage.

To date Habitat for Humanity has built 64 new homes and rehabbed three homes in Spenard, East Anchorage, Fairview and Mountain View. HFHA has housed 347 people, including 224 children since it began in 1993.

HFHA hopes to be able to implement a year around building program soon and build an average of 8-12 homes a year. Learn more at http://www.hfhanchorage.org.

Construction is typically on new homes. Tools and safety equipment are available and each site is equipped with portable bathroom facilities.

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage sits in a geographic bowl, bounded by the Chugach Mountains to the north and east, and by the Cook Inlet to the west and south. With a population of 265,000, it is the largest city in Alaska (41% of the state's population). The majority are Caucasian (approximately 75%), with the remaining 25 percent split between Native Alaskans, Asians, Hispanics and African-Americans.

Anchorage is the commercial center of Alaska and in many ways looks like any other major U.S. city, with shopping malls, housing developments and office buildings (primarily oil and government). There are two military bases nearby as well.

In general, team members should plan for a wide variety of weather. It may be 85 degrees and sunny in Anchorage but cold near glaciers, or it may rain the entire time and be very cold in the mountains.