Anchorage has an ordinance that requires the municipality to provide cold-weather shelter when the average temperature in the city drops below 45 degrees. That usually means September. As summer came to an end in 2022, Mayor Dave Bronson ordered the Centennial Campground closed to homeless and transient campers, and re-opened the Sullivan Arena, which currently houses around 360 people on cots set in rows across the main surface of what used to be a space filled with ice for hockey.
Alexis Johnson, Anchorage’s homeless coordinator, gave Must Read Alaska’s John Quick a tour of the facility, which you can view at the link below and where you can also hear Rob Seay, a community liaison, tell inspirational stories about people getting back on their feet. One aspect that video reporter John Quick noticed about the shelter is that it is tidy, clean, orderly, and quiet. This is a shelter that most of the members of the Anchorage Assembly have never seen — but you can:
Thank you to Mayor Dave Bronson for allowing Must Read Alaska to produce this video.
