Assembly member Felix Rivera proposed a series of town hall meetings to talk about how to improve shelters for the homeless and the people who live near them.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - At a work session at City Hall on Friday assembly members listed concerns they’ve heard from the community about having a homeless shelter nearby. Responses ranged from concerns about increased crime or drug use to worries about people walking into traffic and getting hit by cars.
“I think it is important to admit those fears, to look those fears in the face and say, I get you and we can do better than those fears,” Rivera said.Rivera has proposed a series of town hall meetings over April, May and into June to talk about how to improve shelters for the people who use them and the people who live near them. The goal is to decide on a permanent year-round shelter location by November that can be up and running as the weather turns colder.
Some residents have expressed frustration that more has not been done to locate permanent shelter and get people out of the Sullivan Arena. That includes Danny Parish, who lives across the street from the Sullivan in a home he’s owned for 30 years. Parish said he no longer feels safe, adding that concerns people have about shelters in their neighborhoods are not theoretical for him.
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