The setting sun casts a warm glow on the Anchorage skyline and frosty trees in the foreground during subzero temperatures on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. The plan to start a homeless camp in the Muldoon area were announced one day after a wildfire blazed through around 13 acres of forest area in East Anchorage, leaving residents on heightened alert as Southcentral Alaska continues to experience one of the hottest and driest starts to summer in years. Homeless clients settle in for the night at the Bean's Cafe emergency shelter in the Sullivan Arena on Monday evening, April 27, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A panhandler wears a mask at an intersection in midtown Anchorage on Friday, April 17, 2020. The Anchorage Daily News is spending the year looking closely at homelessness in Anchorage and in Alaska the problems, the complexities and ways to make things better. More than 103,000 Alaskans filed initial unemployment claims over 10 weeks through May 16. Before the pandemic, more than 17,000 Anchorage families lived on a financial cliff, one or two paychecks away from disaster, according to an estimate by United Way of Anchorage. Others with deeper needs and lower income might get permanent supportive or subsidized housing when their number comes up on a waiting list. About one-quarter of adults who experience homelessness suffer from severe mental health disorders, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Im not trying to ask for a favor.. Municipal signs were posted Friday morning at the campground entrance stating that Parks and Recreation would be canceling all prior reservations at the campground through July 31, 2022, citing a citywide safety need. The postings also listed alternate locations where campsites are available. The program has existed for years in the summer, but starting in late December, for the first time Anchorage started abating homeless camps on public property during the winter months. Our goal is to try to get people out of this system, said Sauder, standing outside the Boeke in the evening sunshine. (Bill Roth / ADN). The encampments often include human waste, trash of all kinds and discarded drug paraphernalia, such as needles. For now, people have been filling jugs at a local laundromat. The city says it will clear homeless camps because they are illegal and pose health and safety hazards, and plans to continue to do so in coming months. The portal, part of #ANCWorks!, will help the Anchorage Police Department contact campers in a timely manner, and expedite camp clean up. He said he likes to keep his campsite tidy and organized. Hours. Facilitators working on the plan quit, citing a breakdown in transparency, candor and we are all in this together attitude in the process. (Bill Roth / ADN), Parks and Recreation workers clean up a homeless camp along Chester Creek on Thursday, April 30, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Municipality Launches Homeless Camp Reporting Portal. Its nearly the exact spot where he had a tent in the fall before it was abated in September. Hows that for vague directions to an Anchorage homeless camp? The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod, No injuries in downtown Anchorage commercial building collapse. The program has existed for years in the summer, but starting in late December, for the first time Anchorage started removing homeless camps on public property during the winter months. Anchorage Police Department. Vaughan says he tries to get people to follow three main rules: Keep food and garbage to a minimum. The program has existed for years in the summer, but starting in late December, for the first time Anchorage started abating homeless camps on public property during the winter months. Sometimes the move to Anchorage just doesnt work out. Plans are in the works to open a day shelter with services possibly in Midtown. All rights reserved. Contact her at pdobbyn@adn.com. The Sullivan Arena is shutting down. Theyll be camping. This position is eligible for a $500 sign on bonus and annual incentive opportunities up to $4,000! Its commonly a revolving door of renting, eviction, a return to homelessness, couch surfing, transitional housing and apartment hunting all over again. Occupational therapist Kevin Knight with Orthopedic Physicians Alaska takes the temperature of a client entering the Bean's Cafe emergency shelter at the Sullivan Arena on Monday evening, April 27, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why has it gotten so bad? Michelle Theriault Boots is a reporter who covers news and features about life in Alaska, and has been focusing on corrections and psychiatric care issues in the state. Task forces, summits, plans and various initiatives have come and gone. They share phone numbers. The Municipality of Anchorage has focused on creating new shelter and housing options for homeless individuals to move from unsheltered locations into safe housing with supportive services. First people are going to go out to the Campbell Creek area, the people who utilize the shelter down there. Registered nurse Shelley Federspiel helps Wheeler, who is a single father, care for his son 50 hours each week. Homelessness in Anchorage Imagine for a moment what it would feel like if you did not have your home, your sanctuary: Where you safely put your kids to bed each night. Arthur Smith said he has been staying the Davis Park for most of four years and has watched other camp clearings occur. Even if you successfully have a camp removed, that area will only be empty for a while before it's repopulated by a different cohort of homeless folk. Others are sober elders raising grandchildren because their adult kids are addicted, incarcerated or otherwise unfit to parent. Wheeler gets by on Social Security, disability, the PFD and Native corporation dividends. Who are they? The group has been staffing a tent at the campground with food, water and other resources. In 2021, a follow-up report from the agency found that there were more than 326,000 homeless people in the country, a decrease of 8 percent from 2020, though the agency warned that homelessness. She has seen evidence that its working. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority recently approved a $500,000 grant to support the effort, following a similarly sized investment in 2019. Daily News reporters, photographers and editors operate independently of the funders, have full editorial control over the content and are solely responsible for it. Whether its right next to a highway or gosh, theres been a number of situations with structures that have been unsafe, he said. One hundred years ago, we would have been called pioneers, Vaughan said with a rueful laugh. People like Stephanie Wise, who said she is a mother of 10 who used to work in dental offices and as a personal trainer. I bring that agency back to the person because the person isnt always going to go to the agency," said Tanya Vandenbos, who travels with police and is paid through a grant held by Anchorage Community Mental Health Services. But things dont always go as planned. Case management. When Chong Han arrives at work at Burger Jim, her fast food restaurant on East Fourth Avenue., she often finds the residue of the night before. anchorage report camp locations of human excrement that the homeless. Spend time with Anchorages homeless residents and you quickly see a patchwork of complicated stories. . Shovels, rakes, extension cords, propane tanks, childrens bikes you name it. Foxglove said the city should consider allowing campers in areas where they could use garbage bins and access to water. A friend used a credit card to pay his bail the next day, $100. Theyre saying theres no available housing, Vaughan said. But why werent arrangements made then?. By law, the city is required to have open space at the shelters before it can abate a camp. Theres going to be a wave, Vaughan said. We were able to nip that in the bud and it was a community effort, so Im really pleased about that.. My neighbor saw something in the woods that said the homeless are moving over there, and I cant believe in this world this can happen behind our back overnight, Linda McCrae, who lives near the campground said. Police came and handcuffed the men. The case remains open. The health department tested more than 225 homeless people for COVID-19 in May and all the results came back negative, according to the mayors spokeswoman. The latest effort is a three-year plan called Anchored Home that aims to reach functional zero by next year. As part of the citys abatement program, workers from the parks department stapled a paper notice on a tree near her old camp warning her she had ten days to move. Corey Allen Young, a spokesman with the mayors office, said the city is working to address safety concerns with 24/7 security at the campground. Well be reporting on impacts across the community and potential solutions. Although the number of people experiencing homelessness in Anchorage is fairly stagnant according to official numbers, many residents and business owners say the city looks more dystopian by the month. She was smoking a cigarette. Even with more housing and case management, the lack of drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services remains an ongoing challenge. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. The police responded and took him to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. In late December, the city raised the capacity at the Sullivan by about 100 people. Meanwhile, as the days tick down to the closure of Sullivan Arena, attention has centered on whether the city should continue to dismantle what it considers illegal encampments like the one in Davis Park. Motorists and pedestrians often report people passed out and sometimes not breathing. Others live in cars, surf couches or battle bugs and crime at low-budget hotels. Path to Independence is a pilot program, a public-private partnership, that provides housing to homeless individuals in apartments owned by Weidner Apartment Homes and Cook Inlet Housing Authority. She said that follow up questions from the Assembly needed to be submitted in writing. It feels more like home. The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod, No injuries in downtown Anchorage commercial building collapse. Thats after the citys Homeless Prevention Response System Advisory Council said it wouldnt make those connections anymore, citing safety concerns and the fact that the campground isnt part of the official city homelessness response. On the other hand, he feels that sometimes security is very strict. The encampment at Davis Park is a window into the lives of people living unsheltered at this moment in Anchorage. Williams, 46, said her body hurts from living in the streets and shivering through Anchorages winter temperatures. On a recent afternoon, she sat along the creek banks with her friend Jesse, eating chips and sharing hand-rolled tobacco. But homeless families can still access help by calling 211 and some are being housed in a downtown hotel during the pandemic. (Bill Roth / ADN). A new planned navigation center shelter near the intersection of Tudor and Elmore roads isnt expected to be ready until late fall, according to the city, leaving the city without a large, low-barrier shelter for months. I think the only place that is legal to camp here in Anchorage is the sidewalks, she said. Its called a Point in Time Count. I worked about 12 hours. Lex Treinen is covering the 2023 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for Alaska Public Media. Copper Valley. Emily Goodykoontz is a reporter covering Anchorage local government and general assignments. A good paycheck is essential to eke out a middle-class lifestyle dinner out occasionally, affordable child care, a reliable vehicle. The city didnt announce publicly that it had started winter camp abatements until an Assembly Housing committee on Wednesday, where city manager Amy Demboski said it was happening on a limited basis in certain neighborhoods with a priority on public safety. Many survive on Social Security, public assistance, food stamps or other benefits, including the Permanent Fund dividend. The homeless issue in Anchorage has made the place a hole no one wishes to be around. In a 10-day abatement, the most common kind, a sign is posted and the campers have 10 days to move. Others manage to secure transitional housing where they work with case managers to find jobs. CAP is generally focused on what is considered traditional community policing strategies. In an era of face masks and hunkering down, the protesters found it unconscionable that authorities seemed to turn a blind eye to scores of homeless people roaming freely, possibly spreading COVID-19. Its not uncommon for rural residents to get stuck in Anchorage if they lose their drivers license or a state ID. Launched in November, the latest version of the city's online reporting portal for homeless camps allows users to pinpoint the exact latitude and longitude of homeless camps using an interactive (Bill Roth / ADN). Their mission? 716 W. 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501. Scheduling may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays Some receive dividend checks from Alaska Native corporations. Given current economic conditions, Anchorages chronic homelessness problem could spiral, according to experts. Jose McPherson watches the deterioration from his business, Good Guys Auto Sales. (Bill Roth / ADN), Clients stand on dots marking proper social distance spacing while waiting for sack lunches to be distributed at the Bean's Cafe emergency shelter inside the Sullivan Arena during the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Theres often human feces on our walkways, said Carmen Baker, co-owner of Elaine S. Baker and Associates furniture store on East Fifth Avenue. Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Its a lot of worry. Report a campsite To report concerns about a campsite, visit PDX reporter or call the City's Information and Referral team at 311. Theres even a group that assists this population called the Association for Stranded Rural Alaskans. Since the lockdown, we have had people camping out during the day and night.. But at some point, to sustain it, if it is going to be a longer term effort, we would certainly welcome some additional funding from another source.. Its a shell game, said Parks, from RurAL CAP, Youre just clearing one camp out, and theyre just moving and setting up a camp somewhere else.. Back Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Events Submit Anonymous Crime Tip Report a Homeless Camp Victims for Justice Community Action . His younger son, Jaxson, will turn 5 soon. Roughly 200 houseless people are staying at Anchorage's Centennial Park. Theres also a growing sense among many residents that enough is enough: Things have been bad for a long time, the misery and impacts across the community are getting worse, and somehow as a city, the time has come to solve the problem, or at least make a meaningful dent. For more information, contact Nora Morse. Some at Davis Park say theyve stayed at Sullivan Arena or other shelters but prefer to live outside. Some are stay-at-home moms who escaped violent relationships. He said they left for a few days and came back to find theyd been evicted, again losing belongings. Campers James Keele and Jimmy Hartley made use of the rescinding of the ban, working to boil some water for coffee using a makeshift burner and some kerosene. (Loren Holmes / ADN). An Anchorage police officer and a man were wounded in a shootout at the city-owned campground that has been turned into an outdoor shelter for homeless people. Back Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Events Submit Anonymous Crime Tip Report a Homeless Camp Victims for Justice Community Action Policing Crisis Intervention Team . A handful of Davis Park residents have even banded together to fight the citys abatements in court, appealing an administrative court decision to allow the abatement to go forward. Bringing people into shelter and housing reduces fire hazards and improves health and sanitation. Because of COVID-19, agencies drastically scaled back outreach this spring as their workers hunkered down. That my stuff was safe. It wasnt, he said. She clearly had psychological issues, said McPherson. In the woods. And then some of em will probably make their way out here.. The Chester Creek Trail offers a corridor to downtown, where business owners have grown increasingly incensed. But Tullius said she loves the neighborhood despite the crime and antisocial behavior. Vaughan said police wouldnt let him near his things to retrieve anything. For most, that meant likely losing all the belongings they couldnt carry out. A sign giving notice of an abatement is torn to pieces near where it was posted in Davis Park on June 17. The difference, advocates say, is that during the winter months, campers face significant risks of frostbite each time theyre forced to move. Enforcing AMC 8.80 (fee for excessive police responses) Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) surveys provided for commercial and residential properties Overview. In the past five or six years, homeless demographics along the greenbelts and elsewhere have shifted from chronic inebriates toward younger able-bodied men who operate bike chop shops and other illegal operations, according to Webb. The arenas have been open 24 hours a day and are capable of housing up to 480 people a night, although the Ben Boeke arena closed as a shelter on June 1 because of declining numbers, according to city officials. People experiencing homelessness in the city regularly die from exposure. Theres a widespread sense among many in the community that things are getting worse. More than 800 reports of camps about five to eight per day have been recorded so far. On top of the cart is a repurposed dog kennel filled with pots and pans, blankets, tarps, and other items. The two live in a single room at Safe Harbor, a transitional housing program run by RurAL Cap in Muldoon. Ricardo Molina and his dog stay in a tent Ingra Street and 3rd Avenue on January 6, 2020. Keele, the camper from earlier, said assistance from the city has been hit-or-miss. "Were concerned about people using that information for nefarious purposes," said Brendan Babb, chief innovation officer for the city. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com. The Anchorage Fire Department, which responds to more than 36,000 emergency calls a year, supported the alcohol tax. QUICK EXIT: Click this bar at any time to immediately close this website and check the weather. Now, hes back in the camp, facing another abatement. Gary Smith, a former resident who is working on the appeal, knows the case number by heart: Its 3AN-22-05639CI, he said, sitting in a camping chair. Across town at the Salvation Armys McKinnell House, many homeless families are in a similar boat, trying to make it to smoother waters. Although abatement prompts some to move from homelessness into housing, most campers shift to new sites in vacant lots, wooded trails and parks. Asked how they were doing, Currie smiled and said, Fine., Myron Traylor pushes his belongings in a shopping cart as Anchorage Police and Parks and Recreation workers removed an illegal homeless campsite near Third Avenue and Ingra Street on Monday, May 11, 2020. (Marc Lester / ADN). Sullivan Arena homeless shelter gets third new leader in 3 months, Hometown Alaska: Hear how one Anchorage entrepreneur manages work and motherhood during the pandemic, Bethels Pete Kaiser notches his 6th Kusko 300 win. Vaughan is weary of starting over, again and again. The citys largest mass shelter, the Sullivan Arena, is also set to close at the end of the month. It's disgusting. He said Parks and Recreation officials began distributing firewood to campers. Vaughan was raised in North Carolina but moved to Alaska in the late 1980s. On March 02, 2023 at 05:51PM members of the Anchorage Police Department Investigative Support Unit (ISU) were in the area of the 2600-block of E. Tudor Rd. Why are people living in these camps? Some are banned from the Sullivan and other shelters for bad behavior during previous stays. They are practically invisible. They scare some residents and frustrate many. (Bill Roth / ADN), I want the mayor to enforce the law, said Richard Shafer, who lives on East Third Avenue, across the street from where a large homeless camp grew over the winter.