Last summer, the leftists in Anchorage called the mayor’s sanctioned homeless camp at Centennial Campground a “humanitarian crisis.” This year, the leftists on the Anchorage Assembly want to create several of them — one in every neighborhood in Alaska’s largest city.
The sanctioned camp plan is the subject of an Anchorage Assembly work session on Friday, held at City Hall, 632 W. Sixth Ave. There are two meetings listed on the calendar having to do with the homeless plans: the first starting at 10:50 am in Room 155, and the second at 1 pm. on the 8th floor in the mayor’s conference room.
Also, three Assembly-hosted town halls to present the the “Clean Slate Strategy” to house homeless will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Monday.
The Clean Slate Strategy is the process the leftist Assembly approved in March to come to a decision on a new permanent year-round low-barrier shelter this year.
This, after the Assembly refused to erect a navigation center that it approved and that would have been available before winter set in last fall. The Assembly majority did not want to allow Mayor Dave Bronson to have a win on the homeless issue, and thus, the homeless spent the winter in the Sullivan Arena.
“I invite all members of our community to come to these town halls and let your voice be heard,” said Felix Rivera, District 4 Assembly Member and Chair of the Assembly’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. “These town halls will kick off the next phase of the Clean Slate Strategy where we will be talking about shelter, criteria for shelter, and what shelter should look like in the Municipality of Anchorage.”
The town halls are:
Friday, June 2
5:30-8:30 pm
Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street
Wilda Marston Theatre
Saturday, June 3
1-4 pm
Loussac Library, 3600 Denali
Wilda Marston Theatre
Monday, June 5
5:30-8:30pm
Loussac Library, 3600 Denali
Wilda Marston Theatre
At the June 6 meeting, the sanctioned homeless camps is on the agenda.
10.B.1.a. Assembly Memorandum No. AM 431-2023.
The planned sanctioned homeless camps are:
District 1, North Anchorage | Vacant Land that was formerly Viking Drive from Reeve Blvd. to Commercial Dr.
Total capacity: 50 to 75 individuals
Start date: May 31, 2023
Closure date: August 1, 2023
Structure: Tents
Population: Single adults
Model: Low barrier
District 3, West Anchorage | Clitheroe Center
Total capacity: 30 to 40 individuals
Start date: May 31, 2023
Closure date: September 1, 2024
Structure: Cars and tents
Population: Single adults
Model: Dry, i.e. non-substance use
District 4, Midtown | 40th and Denali, i.e. National Archives site
Total capacity: 50 to 75 individuals
Start date: June 19, 2023
Closure date: September 1, 2024
Structure: Tents; transition to Pallet Shelters and tiny homes
Population: Single adults
Model: Low barrier
District 5, East Anchorage | Centennial Park Campground
Total capacity: 50 to 75 individuals
Start date: May 31, 2023
Closure date: September 4, 2023
Structure: Tents limited only to established campsites
Population: Single adults
Model: Low barrier with structured supports; transition to an intentional camp
District 6, South Anchorage | 1805 Academy Drive
Total capacity: 20 to 40 individuals
Start date: May 31, 2023
Closure date: Year-round operation until such time as the building can no longer be occupied
Structure: ASD relocatable buildings and rooms in the building
Population: Current population staying at the Sullivan Arena
Model: Low barrier with structured supports
On Tuesday, Assemblyman Randy Sulte, Assemblyman Kevin Cross and Mayor Dave Bronson have a resolution on the regular Assembly meeting agenda to commit $7 million to build a shelter and navigation center near the intersection of Tudor and Elmore Roads.
It’s a scaled back version of Mayor Bronson’s navigation center plan, which the Assembly refuses to pay for. Roger Hickel Contracting is now suing the city to get paid for the work he did on the building site.
The Sulte-Cross-Bronson resolution will be the subject of a public hearing and vote at the Assembly’s June 6 meeting:
