Sept. 6
By Steve Kirch
The Anchorage Assembly is authorizing the use of more than $200,000 to address the crime and public health issues associated with large homeless camps throughout Anchorage, specifically ones in North Anchorage and Midtown.
The $220,000 in funding was approved unanimously by the Assembly in an 11-0 vote, with assembly member Meg Zaletel being the only member not to vote.
The money will be split amongst the Anchorage Police Department, Anchorage Health Department and Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department. The health department and parks and rec will both receive $60,500 to equip the camps with clean restrooms, clean water, and improved sanitation. They will also dedicate a community liaison to campsites.
A majority of the money — $99,000 — will go to the police department to increase the police presence around the large encampments.
Many of the people who attended the meeting expressed concern about the amount of crime happening inside and around the camps along with concerns for the vulnerable population inside of the camps. They also expressed concern for nearby homeowners and businesses.
“The situations in these camps, specifically the Third and Ingra camp, have gotten so dire, so violent, that we need to do anything in our power to restore order to eliminate the lawlessness, the violence, the crime, the shootouts, the gunfire, and anything that we can do as a city to support APD. I think that regardless of the cost, it’s what needs to happen,” said Rob Cupples, an Anchorage businessman who owns property next to the Third Avenue and Ingra Street homeless encampment.
Assembly member Felix Rivera had originally put together a resolution that would have appropriated $100,000 to assist with mitigation efforts at large encampments. The police department would have received $45,000 and the health department and parks and recreation would have divided up the rest.
However, Anchorage Police Deputy Chief Sean Case said $45,000 would not have been enough, so the Assembly amended the resolution to $220,000 in funding, with the police department receiving $99,000.
“The reduced amount [$45,000] really allows us to have a couple officers come and go at varying times,” Case said. “What we want to do — which we have not done yet — is to have a dedicated number of officers, typically four, to be able to provide constant attention to that area on a regular basis and the same officers providing that coverage.”
The Assembly and police department said this is just a short-term solution. Case said if it were to become the new norm, he is concerned about how fatigue could impact the officers, considering the department is already short-staffed.
“This is costing overtime,” Case said. “We’re going to have to have officers come in and work overtime to make this happen and we’re already short-staffed. So we’re already pushing the officers to the max in terms of working overtime. They need their time off. They need the rest and relaxation time like anybody else.”
Furthermore, the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter plan will be activated on Oct. 15, assembly members said, and at that time most of the people in the large encampments will be housed in non-congregant housing when the temperature drops below 45 degrees. Cupples said he is optimistic residents can see an improvement in the next 40 days.
“If APD is able to allocate the actual physical resources and implement the strategy and plan that was outlined today by the deputy chief, I think that we can see real difference in the next 40 days before they transition people off the streets, implement their cold weather shelter plan,” Cupples said.
The money that is being reappropriated in the resolution is coming from funds that had originally been dedicated to the Adult Shelter and Navigation Center. The Assembly dropped the project last month.