The Municipality of Anchorage will abate the large homeless encampment at Davis Park and the nearby snow dump site on June 17.
A large encampment has persisted in the Davis Park area for years. This has had a profound and increasing negative impact on the Mountain View neighborhood's safety, the health and safety of people living in the camp, residents' access to public spaces, and the community's well-being. The encampment's location also creates an elevated risk for the nearby military base.
This abatement is part of the administration's broader, ongoing effort to address unsafe encampments across the city through a structured approach that prioritizes public safety, housing- and shelter-focused outreach, and the responsible restoration of public spaces.
The administration is committed to restoring the use of public parks and shared spaces for families and residents who have been affected in the Mountain View community for years.
“Public safety is the number one job of local government, and abatement is a necessary public safety tool," Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said. “Large encampments are dangerous – they're not safe for the people living in them, and they're not safe for people living nearby."
The LaFrance administration has established a year-round safety net of shelter and support services to provide people experiencing homelessness with options.
When the Municipality removes encampments and links people to services in the process, many people in those encampments choose to go to shelter and other housing options.
To minimize potential negative impacts of removing such a large and longstanding encampment, the Municipality is taking the following steps:
- Pre-abatement outreach by the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH), APD's Homeless Outreach Prevention and Engagement (HOPE) team and other partners.
- Linking individuals in the camp to shelter, housing, behavioral health and other supports.
- Pre-abatement enforcement to remove junk and abandoned vehicles.
- Posting legally required abatement notices.
- Abatement on June 17 and cleanup by Parks and Recreation's Healthy Spaces team.
- Outreach teams will continue engaging individuals in the surrounding area post-abatement to prevent re-encampment, support transitions into shelter or housing, and respond to emerging needs.
- After abatement, posting “No camping" signs and enforcing trespassing laws.
- APD will increase patrols in Mountain View and the surrounding neighborhoods to help prevent re-encampment.
The administration notified the Mountain View Community Council of the finalized abatement date during its meeting on Wednesday.
###
Contact: Emily Goodykoontz emily.goodykoontz@anchorageak.gov 1 (907) 205-6683