The Anchorage Assembly on Monday night unanimously agreed to a strategy that three of its members negotiated with the Bronson Administration over the past several months to address the issues surrounding chronically homeless and vagrant people in Anchorage.
The homelessness compromise was crafted over 22 meetings and more than 800 hours of negotiations between three members of the mayor’s team and three members of the Assembly, including Meg Zaletel, Chris Constant, and John Weddleton.
The resolution passed by the Assembly to agree to the policy will move along on an exit plan for returning the Sullivan Arena to its intended use. For more than a year and a half the Sullivan has been providing cots and toilets for homeless men and women, at a cost of $7,500 for each client per month, and more than a million dollars a month.
Mayor Bronson wanted to see that situation resolved before winter, but the Assembly bucked him on his plan for a temporary structure that would have sheltered 450 persons. Bronson suggested negotiations because the Assembly liberal majority was unwilling to appropriate the funds needed for his comprehensive “navigation center” that would be designed to help people break whatever cycle they are in that leads to them living dangerous lives on the streets and in the woods of Anchorage.
But it all comes too late for this winter. There is no way to build the shelter in time for the cold months.
The next step in the facilitation is to identify where the various properties are going to be for the agreed-on five-point plan: The navigation center; housing for those who are not chronically but who are acutely homeless; a facility for the medically fragile; a facility for women and children; and a facility to deal exclusively for alcohol and drug issues.
For example, about 40-50 people in the Sullivan Arena have jobs but just need housing; they could be assisted by the navigation center to find apartments and get them through the apartment rental application process.
The next step for the mayor’s team is to do a census to find out how many people fit into each of the categories. If there are 100 who need drug or alcohol rehabilitation, for example, then the Mayor’s Office wants to right-size that facility.
The key to the whole plan is to get a facility constructed or identified for the navigation center.
There are many more steps; the Assembly has just adopted the policy. The Assembly still holds the keys because the liberal majority of nine can block the appropriation for the policy if it wants to keep battling the mayor and delaying the process.
The Assembly also agreed to the mayor’s request to once again suspend the plastic bag ban, which was put in place not long after the bag ban was enacted in an effort to keep virus-ridden reusable bags from being brought into retail stores. Mayor Dave Bronson asked that the suspension of the plastic bag ban go through April, but the Assembly only agreed that it be in effect until January.
Here’s a plan: arrest them for public intoxication, vagrancy, theft, nudity etc and house them in the jail. It’s not real complicated.
A lot of talk about doing for the unproductive street population, now called victims of homelessness, instead of doing something about them. The rest of the world is figuring out that you do not rid of stray scavengers by taking care of them. Never see any suggestions for a work camp, or day labor, in exchange for food and shelter, only free programs to enable those who are unable or unwilling to care for themselves. State Statutes Title 47, Chap 30, provides procedure for involuntary detention and treatment for those who are not capable to care for themselves, and the criminal code provides procedure for involuntary detention for those who are capable but refuse.
Agree or disagree, try getting any of that done.
Both the bible and Vladimir Lenin agree: Those who do not work shall not eat.
We do people no favor by enabling them to persist in their dysfunction-it only prolongs the cycle, often into generations. There is a time for a hand up, quite often a time for a kick in the pants, but never a time for a hand out, and if we truly care for these human beings we should work every effort to force them to become functional, productive members of society, definitely not to prolong them in their dysfunction. As it is, disgusting politicians only see dysfunction, misery and suffering as another weapon in their arsenal to maintain power.
There is nothing wrong with a work camp. I lived in the field at Camp Bullis.
I don’t know, King of the River. Somebody has to pay that jail bill.
Still only a gov entity would say “$7,500 per person per month? Awesome! You have a deal!”
Amen!
Somebody’s got to ask, $7,500 for each client per month. Why so much?
Compare these costs to faith-based facilities and you will be in shock!!
It’s called the VICTIM INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.
Because some people are pocketing a boatload if FEMA $$
I find it incredible that they cannot build shelter in time for cold months. Did they try to talk to North Slope contractors?
They still have to get the appropriation approved by the Assembly. That will take months with this Assembly. -sd
Sad. I must agree with The Masked Avenger:
The left doesn’t want to fix homelessness. They want to use it-and the homeless- as leverage in their political wars.
The left gives less than a damn about the people they destroy.
Not really. Just because they didn’t like the temporary, expensive and insolvent plan from Dr quiter doesn’t mean they aren’t serious about a quick solution. It’s the Mayors job to work with Assembly not the other way around. Maybe
The left doesn’t want to fix homelessness. They want to use it-and the homeless- as leverage in their political wars.
The left gives less than a damn about the people they destroy.
^^ This.
People just have to realize dems hate them but love power.
In my life time, I have seen that politicians always need some kind of crisis to get any sort of traction. It is a shame that they have now become the crisis. The only cure at this point is We The People.
Yea, kinda reminds of violent psycho nut Alec Baldwin…. when Karma blows up in your face. Then you start to care. I guess.
Why solve it when it’s making political points and money?
So one speculates that the assembly got too many letters complaining about their feet dragging. Now they graciously agree to this plan (that they dragged out until the cold season and past the start of hockey season) and will now point fingers at the mayor for not doing anything with it (despite the fact that he has no funds to do so). I have high hopes that the mayor will start the navigation center at the Sully and start helping people to move on, so the community facility can be returned to the community.
Another thought: Are the $7500/client FEMA funds and already appropriated by the assembly? If so can’t money follow the “client”, as in using it to build a temporary navigation center and relocating individuals as their needs require?
And, I am sure the Assembly will say, loudly and often, that the lack of services for the homeless over the winter is the Mayor’s fault.
Since most hotel and motel rooms allow double occupancy, winter rates could cost less than $500 per homeless person, per month. A couple of twin size beds for non-couples.
We have categories for “chronically homeless” vs “acutely homeless”? How many of those 200 meetings did it take to agree to that verbiage?
.
Here’s a radical thought. Have the homeless that were living in the Sully clean it up and fix it before we let them move out. Teach them some responsibility and job skills.
.
Don’t wanna do it? Then you’re not eligible for the next handout.
Hopefully the citizens will see the light and get those on the assembly removed from office so Anchorage can recover from this tyranny.
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