The direct responsibility will always be with the Municipality, but the state needs to play a bigger role in helping with solutions.
An encampment neighbors the future location of In Our Backyard’s housing shelters along 15th Avenue near A Street on August 6, 2024. In Our Backyard, a nonprofit founded by members of Central Lutheran Church, is planning six interim housing shelters to be located near the west end of the church parking lot.
There are some recent positive signs, however. Projections show a welcome decline in the number of unhoused people needing shelter this upcoming winter. To better connect the unhoused with resources, the Anchorage Police Department has created a Homeless Outreach Prevention and Engagement team pairing police officers trained in crisis intervention with social network navigators.
We must increase access to treatment for substance abuse and mental illness — issues that impact both unhoused and housed Alaskans. Making such treatment more accessible is particularly important given the lingering disruptions caused by the pandemic and the increased availability of cheap and dangerous street drugs.
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