In March of this year, Anchorage Assembly Chairman Christopher Constant published a press release claiming Anchorage had zero major homeless camps for the first time in over a decade. He stated that he had personally driven to 17 sites where major homeless camps had persistently entrenched themselves. “What I found was amazing: the large, entrenched encampments are gone,” he stated. Must Read Alaska said we would visit those same sites in the summer to verify conditions. We found the claim checks out.
On August 27, 2026, Natalie Spaulding verified there are no visible homeless encampments at these 17 sites in the Anchorage bowl:
- Third and Ingra at the old Alaska Native Services Hospital site.
- Coastal Trail and Chester Creek Greenbelt
- Sullivan Arena
- Centennial Park
- C Street Greenbelt near Central Lutheran Church
- Campbell Creek Greenbelt
- Taku Lake
- AKDOT&PF rights of way including 36th Avenue and Seward Highway, Rogers Park, Greenbelt, Fireweed and Arctic, and many more
- Ure Park
- Northwood and 45th Avenue
- Denali Park Strip
- Cuddy Park
- Post Road and Commercial
- Russian Jack Springs Park
- Fairbanks Street
- Valley of the Moon Park
- Davis Park and the Snow Dump in Mountain View
Individual homeless or potentially homeless persons were seen in several areas of Anchorage, primarily downtown. Encampments of two or more occupied tents were not observed at any of the 17 sites or any other location while traveling to these sites.
The Anchorage Police Department has played a major role in cleaning up homeless encampments through their Community Action Policing Team, whose job includes “addressing and enforcing illegal campsites, including coordinating Homeless Camp abatements and camp clean-up with Anchorage Parks & Rec.” Residents can use APD’s online reporting tool to report homeless camps and camp-related trash.
Since 2016, the Municipality of Anchorage has used general fund appropriations, federal grants, state aid, and revenue from the alcohol tax to redistribute taxpayer money for the benefit of the city’s homeless population. According to a fact sheet published by the Anchorage Assembly, a total of $279,555,062 has been used over the past ten years to address homelessness. From 2020-2025, 549 shelter units were funded by the MOA.
