By WARD CLARK
Alaska is not a place one would normally associate with homelessness. However, Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage, has been vexed by homeless enclaves for years, and the problem may be spreading into the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
The borough seat, Palmer, is now considering an unauthorized camping ban to hopefully preempt the problem. The Palmer City Council proposed the ordinance in the town’s September 23 city council meeting. The ordinance has been recommended for a public hearing on October 14.
The proposed ordinance is brief:
Ordinance Serial No. 25-005: Establishing Chapter 9.37, “CAMPING ON PUBLIC PROPERTY,” to Prohibit Unauthorized Camping Within City Limits and Providing for an Effective Date
The Palmer City Council is being proactive. Homeless encampments are prevalent across the country, in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and Anchorage, to name a few cities. They are not only eyesores and crime hubs with rampant drug sale and use; they are also serious public health issues. Trash, human waste, and food scraps are scattered freely. Unlike many major U.S. cities with homeless encampments, Alaska faces the added issue that these sites become a buffet table for bears.
Palmer is right to try to head this issue off. Will Wasilla take up the issue next?
Ward Clark is a freelance journalist for Alaska Gold Communications, Inc., the parent company of Must Read Alaska. He hails from Alaska’s Susitna Valley, where he maintains his rural household in one of America’s last free places. Ward is a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Army, an author, novelist, and self-employed small businessman.