Anchorage’s largest emergency cold weather shelter has a capacity of up to 360 people under certain conditions.
Tuesday’s Anchorage Assembly vote approved 160 additional beds for the Sullivan Arena shelter shelter. This is a revision of a proposal Mayor Dave Bronson first proposed two weeks ago. The shelter has a capacity .
Tuesday’s statement by Assembly members was that poor communication from the administration, the unauthorised creation of an overflow heating area and the concentration in one neighborhood of homeless people didn’t outweigh humanitarian needs.
Randy Sulte, Assembly member, stated that “homelessness” is a controversial issue. He also said that the homeless have been forced to pay with their lives. Each of us has a role in where we are.
Bronson and Assembly have been arguing for years over how to house the homeless in the city. Assembly members stated that they prefer multiple smaller shelters to large shelters . Bronson advocated for a large shelter to be built in East Anchorage. However, the Assembly rejected spending more on this project in October.
The Sullivan was a former hockey arena and event venue. It was first opened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bronson shut down the shelter in August and sent people to a campground near Northeast Anchorage. In the fall, Bronson closed the shelter and moved people to the Sullivan.
The Assembly approved 200 beds for the arena, which has been full since November.
A separate area with tables and chairs is available inside the arena. On cold days, hundreds of people crowd into the arena. Many people sleep on the ground. Others stop by for a hot drink and a snack. Some are just waiting for a bed to be made, with regular meals and navigation services.
Alexis Johnson, the muni’s housing coordinator, stated that up to 178 people have passed through this warming area within a 24-hour period. Johnson stated that she cannot offer navigation, meals, or beds to anyone in the warming area if they exceed the 200-bed limit set by Assembly policy.
She encouraged the Assembly’s approval of adding beds.
Johnson stated that when people are homeless and they bring them inside, and offer them food and shelter, they are less likely to stay in the area. It feels like there is a surge of people in the area right now. This capacity increase will allow me to bring this group of people in, feed them, provide a bed and give them access services.
The Sullivan is just one part of the Assembly’s cold-weather shelter plan. This includes traditional shelters and converted hotels. Johnson stated that other shelters in the area are at capacity and cannot be expanded.
However, the weather outside has been extremely unfavorable. In the past two weeks, several feet of snow fell on the Anchorage Bowl. This was followed by days of below-zero temperatures. According to the Anchorage Daily news, 24 people who were homeless died this year have been reported by the Anchorage News.
James Thornton from Fairview Community Council told the Assembly Tuesday that the expansion would add to the unfair burden his community is currently facing. After touring the Sullivan, he was able to see the warming area and he now supports the expansion.
Thornton stated, “We can do worse, and I was quite frankly embarrassed, as an Alaskan that it resorted back to: Folks sleeping on floor like sardines.”
He said that the Sullivan serves people who have more long-term needs than the immediate ones.
Austin Quinn-Davidson, an Assembly member, said that the expansion request by the administration is part of a pattern.
Quinn-Davidson stated, “You know what? This feels a little like the same thing over again.” “You do something at the last minute. Don’t sit around and solve problems for months. Don’t wait until the last minute to do something. Do not explain it to anyone. Do not approach Assembly members to say, “Here’s the plan and why.” And then expect them to vote without knowing about it. It feels amateurish, frankly.
Some Assembly members, and the recently fired municipal manager , have claimed that simply opening the warming area inside the arena was a violation of city code governing emergency shelters at the Sullivan Arena.
Forrest Dunbar, an Assembly member, asked Bronson why the emergency declaration was not made to address the unmet shelter needs. This would have resolved the authorization issue.
Bronson stated to Dunbar that winter is not an emergency. “Cold weather is not an emergency in Alaska. I was forced to act as I stood in the warmth shelter, looking at the people crowded in. I found myself in a moral dilemma and chose the one that would protect people from cold weather.
Before the Assembly passed the expansion 10-0, it amended the administration’s original request by adding sideboards. Jan. 27 is the expiration date for the expansion authorization. Other low-barrier shelters within the city must be close to capacity in order for additional beds to be authorized. The Assembly and any nearby community councils should be notified.
