Anchorage municipal workers and representatives of the Anchorage Community Development Authority met with community members to provide information on the “micro-units” to house individuals recovering from addiction.
ANCHORAGE , Alaska - Anchorage municipal workers and representatives of the Anchorage Community Development Authority met with community members to provide information onThe project was announced earlier this year, and the units are slated to be built before the years end at a lot on the corner of Tudor and Elmore Road.
The lot was previously used as parking for Anchorage Police vehicles. The meeting on Tuesday was set up to provide further information about the project to the community, as well as answer questions that the public may have. At the meeting, special Assistant to the Mayor Thea Agnew Bemben presented details on the project and its status. The “recovery residences” are a combination of both housing and behavioral health treatment program, and similar models operate around the country. Currently, there are micro-unit projects in the Mat-Su Valley and a similar private version operated in Anchorage by a local church. The project was identified by a municipal task force and took inspiration from those other similar models. The municipality awarded the construction contract to Vissar Construction earlier in the summer, who is currently assembling the units at their warehouse. “My big thing is like, how do we try and get the cost of a door down like as cheap as possible,” said Eric Vissar, founder and owner of Vissar Construction. “So that individuals who are living out on the street or living, you know, camping in tents and that sort of thing, how can we get them from there into someplace behind the door?” Vissar also gave details about the units, including that they will be 8x12 feet, with multiple windows and vents, and equipped with electricity, a microwave, and a refrigerator. The program is a two-year pilot, that could expand to additional units. The temporary nature of the units will allow the municipality to move the units to another location at the end of the 2 years if possible, according to Agnew Bemben, and the length of stay will be around 9 months for each resident. The Anchorage Community Development Authority is also a partner on the project and will be doing property management for the site. Currently, the Anchorage Health Department is vetting candidates for the behavioral health operator contract.Support for participants through employment, housing, peer support and aftercare Members of the public were given the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns at Tuesday’s meeting as well. “I was very happy to hear about it. I’ve been trying to figure out where it was, because I heard it was Elmore and Tudor, and now I have a better idea of where it is,” said nearby resident Susan Klein. “I’ve been hearing the construction going on from where I live, and it looks like it’ll be a good project.”“We’re on a trail that a lot of homeless people, you walk back and forth, and they’ve camped behind where we live,” Klein said. “So there is concern, some of our residents, a little bit by me, but I think it’ll be a positive impact.”“People really appreciate having their own four walls,” Agnew Bemben said in response. “And sometimes, when people are experiencing behavioral health issues, they might yell. They might do things in their unit that might disturb somebody who’s sharing a wall with them.” “And that is actually a big reason why people don’t want to go into congregate shelter, because it can be really loud and lots of stimulation, and so it’s calming for people to have their own space.”Troopers: Two hikers fight off brown bear near SewardThe winner of Fat Bear Week 2025 has been chosen!
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