The buses started leaving the Centennial Campground Saturday morning and about 60 summer campers arrived at the Sullivan Arena, where cots and totes awaited them. The summer of having fewer homeless encampments littering the city of Anchorage has ended, and Mayor Dave Bronson has reopened the Sullivan for those who want to come in from the cold. Temperatures in Anchorage are reaching the low 40s this weekend.
The municipality hoped to resettle dozens of the homeless campers today in what appears to be a smooth operation.
Mayor Bronson has been trying to complete his homelessness mitigation plan, and keep unsafe encampments from redeveloping around the greenbelts and streets of Anchorage. But the Anchorage Assembly has refused to allow the mayor to complete the hub of his plan, the navigation center, which is a one-stop shop for homeless people to access shelter, services, and a path forward for their wellbeing.
The campers, who have been spending the summer free of charge at the Centennial Campground, are those who have not found shelter on their own over summer and who will accept coming in from living outdoors. Not all of the campers will come in, as some prefer to live outdoors.
Anchorage Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar warned on his Twitter account that the mayor was about to declare a civil emergency, but it was fake news. No civil emergency was declared. Dunbar lost in his attempt to become Anchorage mayor in the 2021 election and has been nursing his political grudge ever since.
Earlier in the week, the mayor declined to open the Golden Lion Hotel for homeless shelter. The Ethan Berkowitz Administration purchased that hotel with proceeds from the sale of Municipal Light & Power, but an ordinance on the books prohibits its use. The Assembly, however, seeks to violate its own ordinance and wants the mayor to put homeless into the building, which is not occupied and needs renovation work to be habitable. Neighbors and local preschool operators object to the use of the hotel for vagrants.
What keeps a person like Dungbear in office? Are there that many freaks I’m ANC?
Sadly, yes
He gets crap-tons of outside money and the other A- holes of the assembly want him there. Gotta wonder if he provides”services” for some of them
If it’s good enough for WEKA then it’s good enough to house the homeless
“If the rumors I’m hearing are true …’
LOL!
If the rumors I’m hearing are true, Dunbar plays Scrabble by himself wearing underwear on his head. Or so I heard.
Spreading rumors? I think almost everyone on the city assembly should be arrested on civil rights violations.
This is a multi million dollar sports arena. This is a gross misuse of a public building. This is government malfeasance on the part of the assembly.
Strike back on all future bond issues. Just say no to their future cash cows.
Has anybody ever talked to the homeless? Beautiful people! With some issues — Mental, drugs, society. Then talk to your doctors, Medical providers, Your community. Sullivan is is a quick fix for this winter. Better then that property bought by muni on the corner.
Just bulldoze the stupid thing and take it off the table for good.
What keeps Dunbar and these others on the Assembly who work for themselves? The Unions do and the people
of Anchorage do who do not pay attention to what is going on to take this City.
In my opinion, they do not solve problems that do not bring money to their pockets or the LLCs of Mark Begich.The Assembly with Dunbar and all couldn’t solve one problem let alone the problem of Homelessness.
Do I feel sorry for the many Homeless people, You bet. However, with many of them being Native, where are the multi million $$$ Native corporations to help their people with facilities for rest, treatment and rehabilitation. (Lining their own pockets as usual) Hold on Anchorage taxpayers, the worst is yet to come.
Hostage taking
Anchorage tax payers are stupid
I’m old enough to remember the Sullivan Arena was part of “Project 80’s” during Tony Knowles time as Mayor. Along with the Egan Center, Performing Arts Center, Coastal Trail etc. The Sullivan was built to host sporting events, concerts, trade shows etc. Over the years I attended events like the Billy Graham Crusade, John Denver concert, The Great Alaska Shootout basketball tourney, Seawolf hockey and various trade fairs. Some really great times were had in that building.
The Sullivan Arena was never meant to be a shelter for indigents. It’s sad to see how far Anchorage has fallen.
The root cause of our decline can be traced to a lack of leadership. Unlike George Sullivan and Bill Egan, many of today’s politicos are just uninspiring grifters. Very sad to see Anchorage transformed into some northern hell-scape that would be unrecognizable to the men and women that built this city.
One-time Tony’s cardboard playhouse?
Wasn’t it Dunbar who shut down public testimony at one of the Assembly meetings not so long ago because it spreads false information? Oh, the irony!
Oh Dunbar! He was doing so good staying off MRAK’s front page. Hahaha. Then he reported a gossiper’s gossip news.
I heard some gossip about Dunbar. It’s so outrageous I doubt it’s true. You never know. I was trained to not repeat gossip unless it’s true.
Well I hope they make a tiny requirement for residence at Sullivan that our bums must do daily chores. Hahaha. The bums don’t like it, then they can sign a waiver and go back to the woods or concrete and freeze unless csp takes them to the jail’s sleep center.
I surely hope those individuals that committed crimes and vandalism while housed in Sullivan prior are barred from entry. There should be evidence on file.
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