(PartiallyPolitics.com) – Dave Bronson, the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, is working to find housing for the homeless ahead of winter. During the summer he had proposed providing a one-way airfare ticket to the homeless population of the city so that they could leave before winter.
The first snow of the season is expected to be only weeks ago, and the mayor is now scrambling to find housing solutions for the over 3,000 unsheltered residents in the city. Anchorage’s mass shelter which was located in a sports arena was closed down following a complaint from neighbors about bad behavior. Furthermore, the city’s liberal Assembly and mayor did not appear to be able to find a solution for a new permanent shelter.
The Anchorage Assembly is going to be voting on elements of an emergency plan next week having already approved $4 million in funds. According to recent estimates, city leaders expect that they will need to find an additional 450 winter beds, and have expressed confidence that they will prepare sufficient housing in time for the winter.
Still, this confidence is not felt by people on the streets. Scott Gibson, one of the city’s homeless residents who is expecting to spend his second winter without a home has stated that many people believe they are going to freeze. Gibson’s tent and belongings were recently stolen which has only left him with one backpack to carry his few belongings that are left. As he noted he has “nothing” right now and he is trying to make some money by helping repair an old car that is at one of the homeless encampments in the city.
Copyright 2023, PartiallyPolitics.com
