In late January, a Daily News editorial said the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. was slow to reassure senior citizens frightened by crime and unsavory behavior at the agency's Fairview apartments. We promised to keep an eye on the agency as it responded to the situation.

Several troublesome tenants have left or been evicted. When they left, the problems "dropped off, just like that," said a Chugach View resident. At least one other eviction is pending, says AHFC's public housing director, Wes Weir.

Another helpful change was to lock the buildings' side entrances evenings and weekends. Some tenants had been propping open doors and allowing disruptive visitors to come in. The doors still function as emergency exits, and only a handful of residents with apartments near the doors have electronic passes for entry after hours. "This appears to have drastically reduced disturbances," says Mr. Weir.

A $290,000 security system upgrade is also in the works. Each of the two Fairview housing complexes will get 45 new digital cameras, covering each hallway corridor, common area, entrance and exit. The computer database will make it much easier to track who comes in and out and investigate reports of trouble.

Perhaps the most significant development is the agency's new openness to changing the mix of tenants. Both Fairview complexes have seniors as well as younger tenants who qualify for housing aid because they have a physical or mental disability. Most but not all of the security problems have arisen with the younger residents. Seniors have made it clear they strongly favor living in a seniors-only building.

To make that change, the agency would have to arrange subsidized housing elsewhere for the other tenants. That's not an easy task. Private-sector apartments suitable for the physically disabled are scarce, and the state has no plans to build new units. Nonetheless, AHFC will begin a series of public hearings to consider the seniors-only option, says agency CEO Dan Fauske.

The housing agency has to be careful not to just move the Fairview problems elsewhere. Some of its tenants need better social services to keep behavioral problems in check. Mr. Fauske has promised to explore options with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, but that process is a long way from producing results.

Other potentially helpful steps are under review. AHFC has offered space in one Fairview complex for a police substation. The agency is waiting for an answer from the city. Until that is sorted out, the agency won't decide on more expensive alternatives, such as staffing a security desk 24/7 or letting the building manager live on the premises.

It would be a mistake to expect too much improvement merely from hosting a police substation, though. Officers use substations only occasionally, and it is a poor substitute for having a private security officer watching out for trouble. Private security coverage would cost about $150,000 a year per building, according to AHFC. The agency hesitates to go that route, because fairness might require offering similar arrangements at all of its housing statewide.

Nonetheless, on-site security, at least nights and weekends, might be the best solution in Fairview. It could create a better sense of security for seniors without having to banish other residents into less-than-ideal housing.

No question, it can be a challenge to supply well-kept, safe housing to those two very different groups under the same roof. But with its strong financial resources and sustained attention from its capable management, AHFC can surely find a way to make sure both sets of clients get the housing they need.

This is cache, read story here