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The median family income in Juneau grew from $65,200 last year to $81,200 in February, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The figures are used to calculate who qualifies for rental assistance and other affordable housing programs.

James Wiedle, a planner with the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., said the increase is tied to the latest census and other factors. Last year's median family income is based on estimates derived from the 1990 census, while this year's figures use the 2000 census, he said.

Greg Williams, a state demographer, said not all federal agencies define family or household income the same way. For comparison, Juneau's median household income dropped from $66,587 in 1989 to $64,877 in 1999 in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the U.S. Census.

Many low-income housing programs require a family's income be at 80 percent, 60 percent or 50 percent of HUD's median family income, according to the AHFC.

AHFC area coordinator Amy Hiley said the new figures could benefit people who want to take advantage of what's called Section 8 assistance for private-sector rentals in Juneau. A family or individual at 50 percent of HUD's median family income qualifies for the program. For a family of four, the new income limit would be $40,600 instead of last year's $32,600, she said.

"Certainly some families that weren't previously eligible might be eligible," she said.

Hiley cautions, however, that help might not be automatic. The wait list for Section 8 rental housing in Juneau averages 200 to 300 families, she said.

"It's not necessarily a quicker route to the assistance, but it may allow some families ... to ultimately qualify at some point," she said.

The new income limits apply to non-AHFC housing programs as well. Juneau Housing First, a nonprofit group that offers affordable housing for individuals and families through rentals and home ownership, also expects to see more people qualify, board president Jennifer Klein said.

"We'd have a working family come in and they were over the limit and it was hard to believe they were," she said.

More specifically, Housing First expects to see a wider range of people qualify for its Housing Opportunity Program, which helps people who are ready to purchase a home with a down payment or closing costs, Klein said.

"This provides a better snapshot of what's going on and we'll be able to assist more people," she said.

Tamara Rowcroft, a board member with the nonprofit Juneau Housing Trust, said the change could help people who may have been a few dollars over the median income before. The group, which holds and manages land to provide affordable housing opportunities in Juneau, often partners with Housing First.

As an example, often a single parent with an entry-level state job who was struggling to pay rent wouldn't qualify under the old numbers, Rowcroft said.

"Most of us in the housing arena feel these housing income-limit changes are more where they should be, in our experience," she said.

Dan Austin, general manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Juneau, sees demand for low-income housing rising if Alaska Permanent Fund dividends drop this year. St. Vincent de Paul offers affordable housing to families, the homeless, the disabled and senior citizens, and is involved in a project to build a new 22-unit affordable housing complex on Gastineau Avenue.

Increasing the housing eligibility limits will help more people, but Austin urges everyone to look at the big picture.

"The best thing for society is when everyone can afford decent housing and we don't have to subsidize it with tax dollars," he said.

Joanna Markell can be reached at joannam@juneauempire.com.