West Sacramento, Calif. — A new project launched by the Tanacross Village Council (TVC) and located on the grounds of the “Old Tok School” is a home school of a decidedly different type.
This new school is not about creating an educational experience at home, but rather creating homes via a unique educational experience.
Dubbed the Upper Tanana Manufactured Housing Plant and Training Center, the facility is not only a University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) College of Rural Studies training site, but also a first-of-its-kind nonprofit Alaskan tribal factory that will eventually produce affordable premanufactured homes for Tanacross and neighboring communities.
Utilizing a $600,000 grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Rural Housing and Economic Development program and a $290,000 loan from nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), the Council began renovating the former K -12 school last year. TVC purchased the property in 2000 when Tok’s Gateway School District abandoned the property in favor of a new facility.Nearly a third of the 47,256 square-foot school has already been renovated to house the premanufactured home training facility. Renovation of the school’s former gymnasium and shop included a new roof, new concrete floor and the addition of two loading docks that allow for one-half of a pre-manufactured home to be moved from inside the facility onto flatbed trailers. A new power service also was added, and the aging air-handling system was refurbished.
In March, students and local workers will construct 20 affordable, single-family lease-to-own
homes for Tanacross residents. Several months ago, RCAC provided TVC with a $227,000 loan to pay for foundation construction in anticipation of these homes.
With the current unprecedented need for affordable housing in Alaska, TVC believes its new facility will be in high demand; not only from college students seeking to learn the premanufactured housing trade, but also from other local communities seeking to provide affordable housing.
TVC plans to offer the facility to other nearby villages to address their own affordable housing needs. The plant will be made available on a nonprofit basis for only a small fee to cover operational expenses.
Recognizing the low-income status of most Tanacross and surrounding area residents, TVC is determined to operate its facility on a nonprofit basis solely for affordable housing production and community services.
Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, and serving 13 western states, RCAC is a nonprofit agency that provides technical assistance and training to rural communities seeking to develop a wide range of local services including, community facilities, affordable housing and water treatment facilities. The organization operates a loan fund with $50 million in lending capital that provides low-interest loans and grants to further rural communities’ goals. RCAC has offices in Fairbanks and Anchorage.