Common area at Covey Lofts with television, large table and orange chairs

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Focus on Homelessness​

Like many urban communities, Anchorag​​e is grappling with homelessness and a housing shortage. The causes of homelessness are complex, and solutions require a great deal of community cooperation, funding and creativity. The good news is that our community has a plan to end and prevent homelessness, and we're making progress.


​​ ​​​BACKGROUND​​​     ​​​DETAILED TIMELINE     ​​​SHELTER TYPES   ​  ​CLEAN SLATE STRATEGY​​​​​​​​


​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Municipal Spending on Housing & Homelessness​

The influx of federal funding for COVID recovery efforts enabled the Municipality for the first time to make major investments in housing and homelessness. Additionally, the alcohol tax implemented in 2021 provided a new source of funds for homelessness prevention and response. The Municipality has utilized these funds to make grants to nonprofit partners to purchase and renovate 15 facilities with over 600 new units of housing, keep over 18,000 individuals housed during the pandemic through rental and mortgage assistance, and invest in programs to prevent homelessness and provide supportive housing for our neighbors. The Assembly's Legislative Services Office compiled the Assembly's appropriations on housing and homlessness from 2016 to 2023 so you can see for yourself how the money was directed. TLDR? View the fact sheet with the highlights.

MOA HOUSING APPROPRIATIONS AS OF DEC 19, 2023   ​​   HIGHLIGHTS OF MOA HOUSING APPROPRIATIONS​​


Join the Conversation


​​Pillars of Anchored Home

​Our community’s plan for ending homelessness in the Municipality is the Anchored Home Plan​, which recognizes that a collaboration between nonprofits, faith communities, individuals, businesses and governmental agencies is key for success.​ Launched in 2018 through a collaborative effort of 75 organizations and 700+ community members, including Assembly members, Anchored Home identifies concrete actions to make homlessness a rare, brief and one-time event.

  1. Promoting Prevention & Diversion from homelessness
  2. Growing the Housing & Support System
  3. Improving Public Health & Safety
  4. Increasing Advocacy & Funding to bolster our efforts​

The role of local government in the Anchored Home Plan is to support public health and safety by providing first responders, helping community partners add affordable housing to the market, ensuring that adequate emergency shelter exists, and using tax breaks and government funds to leverage private investment in housing.


​The Sullivan is Closed. Now What?

Permanent shelter provides stability, but the Sullivan Arena is not a stable solution. 

As the step-down process to close the Sullivan Arena began, the 2023 Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Demobilization Plan, adopted via AR 2023-127, established two community action groups to evaluate solutions to local sheltering needs. 

Simultaneously, the Housing & Homelessness Committee is working to fulfill the Clean Slate Strategy with a goal to open a new permanent year-round low-barrier shelter in 2023.

At the August 16​​ meeting of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, the Anchorage Health Department presented a proposal for an Emergency Shelter Plan for 2023-24​ to implement for the upcoming winter, which began operations in October 2023. Assembly Members Anna Brawley, Christopher Constant and Felix Rivera proposed funding the 2023-2024 winter season through a series of resolutions this fallThe appropriations are summarized in a funding tracking report​.


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Related Initiatives

​Clean Slate Strategy

​At the March 21 meeting, the Assembly approved a resolution laid on the table by Member Felix Rivera to formally adopt a "Clean Slate Strategy" toward the Municipality's efforts to open a new permanent year-round low-barrier shelter in 2023. The strategy comes as the Assembly weighs options for potential locations of a new low-barrier shelter.



Emergency Cold Weather Sheltering ​Plan​

The 2023-2024 Emergency Cold Weather Sheltering Plan is underway. Learn more about the unified effort to provide cold weather shelter and invest in long-term solutions this winter:
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Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Plan

The Anchorage Health Department developed a plan to provide emergency cold weather sheltering this winter season. The plan was proposed to the Assembly at the September 20 Housing & Homelessness Committee​ meeting. A review of the plan was discussed at the October 18 committee​ meeting.

Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Funding

Assembly Members Anna Brawley, Christopher Constant and Felix Rivera proposed a package of funding for the 2023-2024 winter season through a series of resolutions. The appropriations are summarized in a funding tracking report​.


Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Oversight

Operations of the 2023-2024 Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Plan are reviewed by Restorative and Reentry Services (RSS), who provides a weekly written report to the Anchorage Assembly and Administration. The reports are linked below as they are received: 



2023 Completed Initiatives

Complex Behavioral Health
Allowed Camps
Forest Park Trailer Park
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​Complex Behavioral Health Community Task Force​​​

The Behavioral Health Task Force was charged with identifying immediate needs and evaluating and presenting mid-to-long-term solutions to Municipal and State agencies to support individuals in our community who have complex behavioral health needs. The task force presented recommendations s to support those impacted by the closure of emergency cold weather shelter plan locations, including the Sullivan Arena, on June 1, 2023. 

Following a leadership summit on August 29, 2023​, the Task Force submitted its final report recommending solutions​ to policy makers and it was accepted by the Anchorage Assembly at the September 12, 2023 Regular Meeting.​ 

Complex Behavioral Health Task Force Final Report

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Allowed Camps Commun​​​ity Task Force

The Sanctioned Camps Task Force​ was charged with evaluating and presenting recommendations to the Anchorage Assembly and Municipal Administration regarding the feasibility of sheltering community options including allowed camps, pallet shelters, modular buildings and relocatable temporary buildings. 

The group evaluated the feasibility of dignified, temporary sheltering options to make recommendations to the Assembly in alignment with AR 2023-167, As Amended, which declared a policy of dispersed placement of services and programs for homeless persons across the Anchorage Bowl. 

On May 17, AHD Homelessness Coordinator Michael Hughes presented his research on models for sanctioned camping from across the country to the Sanctioned Camp Community Task Force. Review the presentation.

On Monday, May 22, the Sanctioned Camp Community Task Force announced recommendations for locating, developing and supplying sanctioned camps across the Municipality to address immediate needs. On Tuesday, June 6, the Assembly adopted an amended version of the Task Force's immediate needs recommendations. 

The task force's final recommendations for allowed camps​ and other sheltering community options were finalized by their July 6, 2023 due date and accepted into the record at the July 11 Regular Assembly Meeting​.  

Allowed Camps Task Force Final Recommendations


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Forest Park Trailer Par​​k

The Forest Park Trailer Park suffered significant damage to its infrastructure during the 2018 earthquake and its water well sources, water distribution and teatment system and sewage infrastructure are in a state of disrepair. An AR laid on the table​ at the April 25 Regular Assembly Meeting charged the Housing & Homelessness Committee with reporting back to the full Assembly on the feasible short-term remediation options and the long-term solutions to resolve the current crisis at Forest Park. 

The committee's final Forest Park Mobile Home Park Report was issued on May 25.

Forest Park Final Report







K​EY
PROJECT
SUPPORT
​1​​
Catholic Social Services: 3rd Ave Navigation Center
​Services
​2
​Anchorage Affordable Housing & Land Trust: 5th Ave Extremely Low-Income Housing (The Guest House)
​130 Units
​3
​Catholic Social Service: Complex Care Facility
​85 Beds
​4
​Choosing Our Roots: Youth Housing Placement
​20 Beds
​5
​Covenent House: Mack Center & Covey Lofts
​32 Beds
​6
​Rural CAP: Supportive Housing
​30 Units
​7
​Cook Inlet Housing Authority: Mountain View
​21 Units
​8
Anchorage Affordable Housing & Land Trust: Lake Shore Extremely Low-Income Housing
45 Units​
​9
Anchorage Affordable Housing & Land Trust: Barratt Inn Extremely Low-Income Housing
​93 Units
​10
​Shiloh Community Housing: Fresh Beginnings
​6 Units
​11
​​Cook Inlet Housing Authority: Ch'bala Corners
​38 Units
​12
​Golden Lion Housing & Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Center
​85 Units
​13
House of Transformation Transitional Housing​​20 Units
​14
Providence Alaska House Supportive Housing​​51 Units
​15
Cook Inlet Housing Authority: Coranado Park (Eagle River)​
​12 Units




Participate​
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Housing & 
​Homelessness Committee

​Guide to Testimony

Projects Funded by Federal Relief​





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​​907-343-4311 PO Box 196650, Anchorage, AK 99519-6650​​​