The Anchorage Assembly has withdrawn a contested proposal to open the city-owned former Golden Lion Hotel as an emergency homeless shelter this winter and has instead doubled down on using the building as longer-term housing.
of the Golden Lion in 2020, members stipulated that it could not be used for a homeless or transient shelter.
“From the very beginning, I proposed to use the former Golden Lion as housing, not as emergency shelter,” Rivera said. “Unfortunately, things have gotten so contorted, due to various legal and other hurdles, that there is no clear or consistent message.” “The municipality holds two keys to the solution right now. All we have to do is have the will to implement them,” Zaletel said
“This is the first step to ensure clarity on what we are hoping to accomplish,” Rivera said of Tuesday’s measure. “In case anyone thinks that I’ve changed my stance on the permanent use of the former Golden Lion, I just want to be super clear -- I’d like to see this asset used as a substance misuse treatment facility at some point. Until we get there -- which might take a change in administration -- I think using this former hotel as housing makes all the sense in the world.
“I confess, I am a little bit confused about the complexity surrounding the use. I know this facility was used by a for-profit establishment, WEKA, and that did not come before the Assembly. The contract didn’t. We had no discussion about the use. We did not see the lease. And so that seemed pretty straightforward,” Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance said.
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