ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Shawn Steik and his wife found themselves compelled to leave a long-term motel room in Anchorage due to a sudden rent increase to $800 a month. Now, they reside in a tent encampment near a train depot, with the looming Alaskan winter bringing desperation and anxiety about their future.
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s recent proposal to provide one-way plane tickets for the city’s homeless residents offered Steik a glimmer of hope. Seattle, with its relatively milder climate, would become their potential new home.
“I’ve heard it’s much warmer there than this place,” said Steik, who belongs to the Aleut community.
However, the mayor’s unfunded proposal faced immediate criticism for being nothing more than a Band-Aid solution, merely skimming the surface of the significant and still unresolved crisis confronting Anchorage. The city grapples with a growing homeless population struggling to survive in an unparalleled and harsh environment. The winter brings frigid temperatures that pose serious threats to the homeless, while in the summer, encampments face the intrusion of bears. The proposed plan was seen as inadequate to address the deep-rooted challenges and complexities of the issue at hand.
Last winter witnessed an alarming record of eight deaths due to exposure among those living outside, and the upcoming winter threatens to be even more severe after the closure of an arena that previously housed 500 people during the colder months. However, instead of united efforts to address the crisis, bickering between the liberal assembly and conservative mayor of Anchorage has hindered progress. The lack of state funding has compounded the problem, making it even more challenging to find a viable solution.
As winter rapidly approaches in Alaska, the urgency to address the underlying causes of homelessness has become evident. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska asserted that the proposal to provide one-way plane tickets is merely a distraction and not a genuine solution. They emphasized the need for state and local leaders to focus on comprehensive strategies.
Anchorage’s homeless population includes about 43% Alaska Natives, adding a critical cultural dimension to the issue. Mayor Bronson’s proposal faced harsh criticism, with concerns raised about its cultural insensitivity. Many argue that there is no appropriate place to send these individuals since this land is their ancestral home, particularly for the Dena’ina and Native communities. Anchorage Assembly Chair Christopher Constant stressed the importance of policies that respect this fact and avoid displacing people from their rightful homes. Simply uprooting individuals from their native land would not be a just approach to addressing homelessness in the city.
Bronson’s proposal to provide airfare for homeless individuals adds to the turbulent years that Anchorage has been experiencing, much like several other cities in the U.S. West, as they grapple with an ever-growing homeless population.
Earlier this year, in May, the city made the controversial decision to shut down a 500-bed homeless shelter situated in the city’s arena. The move came after numerous complaints from neighbors about issues like open drug use, trespassing, violence, and litter in the vicinity. While there were plans to construct a substantial shelter and navigation center, the initiative fell apart when Bronson approved a contract without obtaining the necessary approval from the Anchorage Assembly.
As a result, the city now faces a significant gap in its ability to accommodate the thousands of homeless individuals, especially when dealing with the harsh conditions of winter. With temperatures dropping well below zero for extended periods and relentless winds blowing off Cook Inlet, the situation becomes dire. At the end of June, it was estimated that Anchorage had over 3,150 homeless people, and the available shelters, with only 614 beds, were already fully occupied.
As a consequence, makeshift tent cities have sprung up across Anchorage during the summer, cropping up on slopes near the historic railroad depot, along busy roads near Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, and in proximity to soup kitchens and downtown shelters.
The Anchorage Assembly is set to consider a winter stop-gap option in August, but it falls far short of the actual need. The proposed solution is a large, heated tent-like structure intended to accommodate 150 people, which is inadequate given the scale of the homelessness crisis in the city.
The summer season in Anchorage also presents its unique set of challenges. Last year, hungry bears became a concern when they roamed a city-owned campground where homeless individuals had been resettled after the closure of the arena shelter. This led to a dangerous situation, and wildlife officials had to intervene, resulting in the unfortunate killing of four bears after they broke into tents.
In response to the ongoing homelessness crisis, Mayor Bronson expressed his preference for a cost-effective approach. He stated that he would rather spend a few hundred dollars per person for a plane ticket than allocate approximately $100 per day to provide shelter and food for the homeless population. His main priority is to ensure that homeless individuals don’t perish on the streets of Anchorage. Despite criticisms of his proposal, he emphasized that his primary concern is the welfare and safety of those experiencing homelessness, and he is willing to explore options that may offer them a chance at a better life, even if it means relocating them elsewhere.
As of now, it remains uncertain whether Mayor Bronson’s proposal will be implemented, as there is neither a concrete plan nor a confirmed funding source in place.
Dr. Ted Mala, an Inupiaq who holds the distinction of being the first Alaska Native to serve as the state’s health commissioner in 1990, suggested an alternative approach to address the homelessness issue in Anchorage. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the city, social workers, and law enforcement to gain a better understanding of the individual reasons leading to homelessness. By identifying the specific needs and challenges faced by each person experiencing homelessness, the aim should be to connect them with appropriate resources that can offer the necessary support and assistance.
In contrast to a one-size-fits-all solution, a more personalized and comprehensive approach could be the key to addressing the root causes of homelessness and finding viable solutions to help individuals transition out of homelessness effectively.
The practice of providing tickets to another city as a means to address homelessness has been employed as a political strategy for many years and has been observed in various U.S. cities facing similar challenges, such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. While some argue that this approach offers temporary relief, critics argue that it does not address the underlying causes of homelessness and treats people as mere pawns in a larger political game.
Dr. Ted Mala emphasizes that individuals experiencing homelessness should not be treated as objects to be moved around but rather as fellow human beings deserving of dignity and respect.
While Mayor Bronson’s proposal primarily focuses on relocating individuals to warmer cities, it also includes funding for tickets to other locations within Alaska for those who express interest in such a move.
One individual, Clarita Clark, finds herself homeless after being advised by her medical team to relocate from Point Hope to Anchorage for cancer treatment due to the warmer climate in Anchorage. The medical facility, however, does not allow her husband to stay with her during the treatment, leading them to live in a tent together in a sprawling camp. Despite the challenges of homelessness, Clark yearns to return to Point Hope, where her three grandchildren live, highlighting the complex personal connections and ties to specific places that many homeless individuals may have.
These stories illustrate the multifaceted nature of the homelessness issue and the need for compassionate and comprehensive solutions that consider the individual circumstances and aspirations of those affected.
Clarita Clark, despite facing homelessness due to medical reasons, still feels fortunate to have a loving family supporting her. She expressed her intention to use the ticket provided by the city to seek treatment closer to her home in Point Hope, Alaska.
On the other hand, Danny Parish has decided to leave Alaska for a different reason entirely. He has grown tired of the challenges posed by living across the street from Sullivan Arena, which was previously used as a homeless shelter. Incidents involving some homeless individuals, such as harassment, littering vodka bottles in his yard, harming his dog, and using his driveway as a restroom, have made his life unbearable. Parish believes that the arena will likely be used again as a shelter during the upcoming winter due to the absence of an alternative plan.
In light of the city’s proposal to provide plane tickets to other homeless individuals, Parish is requesting a ticket for himself as well. He plans to move to Oregon, among the contiguous U.S. states, seeking respite from the issues he has faced in his current location.
Both Clark’s and Parish’s situations highlight the diverse circumstances and reasons that drive people to seek relocation or assistance to improve their living conditions. It also underscores the complexity of addressing homelessness and the need for a holistic and compassionate approach to finding solutions for all affected individuals.
