Focus on the Navigation Center & Shelter at Tudor & Elmore

Find status updates, background and documents related to the proposed Navigation Center & Shelter at Tudor & Elmore.

Project Status Updates

Status update, August 23, 2023: At the August 22nd Assembly meeting, the Anchorage Assembly declined to approve AR 2023-182(S-1), a resolution to fund the proposed shelter and navigation center at Tudor Avenue and Elmore Road, by a vote of 3-9. Following the vote on AR 2023-182(S-1), Assembly Members Anna Brawley, Christopher Constant and Felix Rivera introduced a resolution to appropriate some of the potential funds identified by the Administration to fund the Municipality's 2023-2024 Emergency Cold Weather Sheltering plan from October 15 to December 31, 2023. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for the September 12 Regular Assembly Meeting.

Staus update, June 20, 2023: During a special meeting on Fri. June 16, the Anchorage Assembly voted 9-2 to approve AR 2023-196, As Amended, to authorize a $2.4M settlement with Roger Hickel Contracting for work on the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center and Shelter. Documents related to the special meeting:

Staus update, April 12, 2023: The contract for Roger Hickel Contracting work on the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center and Shelter has become the subject of legal action, which is the topic of an April 12, 2023 Assembly Worksession. Documents related to that case:

AR 2023-100
AR 2023-101
Click to download the RHC- Invoice Portfolio

Status update: At the October 25 meeting, by a vote of 3-9, the Assembly declined to adopt AM 496-2022 to amend the Roger Hickel Contracting contract for the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center and Shelter. Adoption would have allowed the original contract for $50,000 for pre-construction to be increased to $4.9M for site preparations and construction. This page will be updated when more information on next steps becomes available.

Background

The Navigation Center and Shelter was originally proposed by incoming Mayor Bronson in June 2021 and eventaully became a component of the Homeless to Stably Housed project, a product of a facilitated workgroup with several Anchorage Assembly members, the Bronson administration, and community partners. The facilitated workgroup convened from August 2021 to June 2022 to develop solutions to transition away from mass care at sites like the Sullivan Arena, toward an integrated client and community-centered approach. This work is part of the broader Anchored Home homeless prevention and response plan, which is supported by over 40 service providers and community partners working together with the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. The project includes five components:

A Complex Care Shelter (formerly Sockeye Inn, opened June 2022)
A Navigation Center & Shelter
Substance Misuse Residential Treatment
Workforce & Supportive Housing (formerly The Guest House)
Housing for Special Populations (couples, elders, women, & LGBTQ+)

The vision that facilitated working group put forward for the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center and Shelter is a place that serves as a point of entry to treatment programs, specialized shelters and permanent supportive housing all across Anchorage and is intended to be a welcoming facility, staffed by competent navigators whose job is to connect clients to income, benefits, health care and housing.

On May 10, 2022, by a vote of 6-4, the Assembly appropriated funding for Mayor Bronson’s proposal to construct an adult shelter and/or navigation center with no more than 150 beds, plus an emergency surge capacity of 50 beds, by reappropriating $4.9M in CARES Act funding and $1.3M in alcohol tax fund balance (AR 2022-111(S), As Amended). A condition of funding requires the Mayor to make a firm written commitment to make a good faith effort to operate the former Golden Lion Hotel as a substance misuse treatment center.

At the September 13 Regular Assembly Meeting, the Bronson Administration brought forward AM 496-2022, a contract amendment to the original $50,000 for pre-construction work to $4.9M for construction and preparation of the land. It was later revealed that the Bronson administration authorized construction to begin before getting Assembly approval as is required by AMC 7.15.080.

At the October 25 meeting, by a vote of 3-9, the Assembly declined to adopt AM 496-2022 to amend the Roger Hickel Contracting contract for the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center and Shelter. Adoption would have allowed the original contract for $50,000 for pre-construction to be increased to $4.9M for site preparations and construction. In a statement made after the vote, Assembly Chair LaFrance and Vice Chair Constant said: “We encourage the Administration to continue working on putting forward a comprehensive project plan, as many Assembly members have expressed support for the concept in general and have indicated they can get to a yes vote if presented with an adequately detailed proposal. The need for overnight shelter and navigation services in our community is great and a fiscally responsible and well planned project is very likely to receive Assembly and community support.”

Statement from Assembly Leadership on October 25 Vote

Past meetings on the Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center & Shelter

October 25, 2022 Regular Assembly Meeting - View and Documents for AM 496-2022
October 21, 2022 Assembly Worksession on Elmore and Tudor site visit - View and Documents
October 20, 2022 Assembly Worksession on Navigation Center Construction - View and Documents
October 7, 2022 Assembly Worksession on Navigation Center Construction - View and Documents
September 13, 2022 Regular Assembly Meeting - View and Documents
May 10, 2022 Regular Assembly Meeting - View and Documents

NAVIGATION CENTER PROJECT PAGE

Documents

Below are some of the documents relating to the proposed Navigation Center & Shelter project:

From Roger Hickel Construction: Fall 2022 Work Package
Read the Work Package Documents as shared with the Assembly Members for the June 16 Special Meeting.