Focus on Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center & Shelter

***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.

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.

NAVIGATION CENTER TIMELINE FOCUS ON HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

Status of the Bronson Tudor/Elmore Navigation Center & Shelter

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

Review recent 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