阿拉斯加农村住房紧张

The lack of adequate housing has been a consistent problem in rural Alaska, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made living there even more difficult.

缺乏足够的住房一直是阿拉斯加农村的一个问题，而新冠疫情使得那里的生活更加困难。

Alaska Public Media's Erin McKinstry reports from the city of Shaktoolik.

阿拉斯加公共媒体的艾琳·麦金斯特里在沙克图里克市带来报道。

Outside, a winter storm whips through the Northwest Alaska village of Shaktoolik.

在室外，一场暴风雪袭击了阿拉斯加西北部的沙克图里克村。

Inside, Sophia Katchatag unwinds after a long day at work.

在市内，索菲娅·卡察塔格结束了漫长的一天工作，放松自己。

The smell of new soup fills her small home, which she shares with her husband and her four kids.

新鲜汤羹的味道充满了她的小房子，她和丈夫以及四个孩子住在这里。

This is our hallway. This is our room, where we share with the two younger ones.

这是我们的走廊。 这是我们的房间，我们和两个年幼的孩子一起住。

Living in such a tight space has been especially difficult during the pandemic, when they have had to stay home during outbreaks.

在疫情期间，生活在如此狭小的空间特别困难，因为疫情暴发期间，他们不得不呆在家里。

The Katchatags meet the federal definition of overcrowding.

卡查塔格符合联邦对过度拥挤的定义。

The six of them share just two bedrooms.

他们六个人共用两间卧室。

Their teenage daughter wants her own room.

他们十几岁的女儿想要有自己的房间。

But expanding isn't financially feasible.

但扩大房间在经济上是不可行的。

Statewide, Alaskans are twice as likely to live in an overcrowded household than the national average.

阿拉斯加全州范围内，人们居住在拥挤家庭的可能性是全国平均水平的两倍。

Rates are highest in small rural communities like Shaktoolik, where around 60 percent of residents live in overcrowded conditions.

沙克图里克等小型农村社区的拥挤程度最高，那里大约60%的居民生活在过度拥挤的环境中。

An estimated 400 new homes are needed to meet the need in the region. And has to be heated.

估计需要400套新住房来满足该地区的需求。而且需要取暖。

Eugene Asicksik is a commissioner for the Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority.

尤金·阿西克西克是白令海峡地区住房管理局的专员。

We have multiple families living in houses.

我们有好几个家庭住在一个房子里。

I think that adds to the social problems.

我认为这增加了社会问题。

Part of the problem is Shaktoolik's geography.

部分问题在于沙图里克的地理位置。

The few vacant homes need work because of the harsh climate and substandard construction.

由于气候恶略、建筑不合格，为数不多的空房可以使用。

And because the town is only accessible by barge or bush plane, high construction costs keep people from building more or renovating.

由于该城镇只能通过驳船或丛林飞机到达，高昂的建设成本使人们不愿建造更多的房屋或进行翻修。

Everything has to be ordered. One sheet of plywood cost you over $100.

一切都必须订货。 一张压合板花了你一百多美元。

Financing is difficult too, since most of the land is owned by the village corporation, instead of homeowners.

筹措资金也很困难，因为大部分土地是由村公司所有，而非房主所有。

And bank loans are often inaccessible.

银行贷款往往难以获得。

Climate change is also eroding buildable land and slowing down economic activities, like crab fishing, which used to provide more jobs in the village.

气候变化还在侵蚀可建造土地，减缓经济活动，比如捕蟹，这曾经为该村提供了更多就业机会。

The region's federally funded tribal housing authority is responsible for the bulk of the town's residential construction.

该地区由联邦政府资助的部落住房管理局负责该城镇的大部分住宅建设。

They haven't built here in more than a decade.

他们已经十多年没在这里建房子了。

But thanks in part to federal COVID relief funding, Shaktoolik is getting four new modular houses, which are prebuilt and then transported to their final destination.

但在一定程度上，多亏了联邦新冠救援资金，沙克图里克获得了四套新的组合房屋，这些房屋被预先建造好，然后运往最终目的地。

That's welcome news for city clerk Isabelle Jackson.

这对市职员伊莎贝尔·杰克逊来说是个好消息。

Right now, back at home, she shares a hallway with two of her kids.

现在，回到家里，她和两个孩子共用一条走廊。

But after almost 10 years of waiting, she's getting a home of her own.

但在近10年的等待后，她终于有了自己的家。

She will pay an income-based rent for 25 years, and then own it outright. It's a huge relief.

她将按收入支付25年的租金，然后完全拥有这所住宅。这真的让人松口气。

I started crying. I got quiet.

我开始哭了。 我平静了。

I -- tears rolled down my eyes, and just for happiness.

我泪流满面，只是因为幸福。

Like many other residents, she thought about leaving because finding housing is so difficult here.

和其他许多居民一样，她也考虑过离开，因为在这里找房子太困难了。

But the subsistence lifestyle and the tight-knit community have kept her.

但自给自足的生活方式和紧密团结的社区让她留了下来。

Home is home for me.

房子是我的房子。

Jackson's future home and three others are sitting in Nome's shipyard until the barge can access Shaktoolik in the spring.

直到春天的时候驳船可以到达沙克图里克，杰克逊未来的房子和其他三个房子都在诺姆的造船厂。

There's four right here.

这里有四个房子。

The Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority is also bringing three more homes to the region, funded in part by the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act.

白令海峡地区住房管理局也在为该地区运送另外三套房子，部分资金来自美国救援计划和关怀法案。

Still, it's only a small dent in the problem, says CEO and President Jolene Lyon.

不过，首席执行官兼总裁乔琳·里昂表示，这只是问题的一个小进展。

We don't have the funding.

我们没有资金。

That makes it very difficult and frustrating sometimes, when you know that the need is greater than that.

当你知道需要做的比这更多的时候，这有时会让你变得非常困难和令人沮丧。

For now, Lyon says they will tackle the problem one home at a time.

目前，里昂表示，他们将逐个家庭解决问题。

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Erin McKinstry in Shaktoolik, Alaska.

这里是PBS新闻一小时，我是艾琳·麦金斯特里，在阿拉斯加州沙克图里克为您带来报道。

And thank you for that look at what is going on in rural Alaska.

感谢你们关注阿拉斯加农村的情况。