Assembly Housing and Homeless Committee Meeting – October 15, 2025

This meeting of the Anchorage Assembly Housing and Homeless Committee was called to order at 10:56 a.m. on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Due to an initial lack of a quorum, the meeting proceeded informally until quorum was achieved at 11:03 a.m. The committee received updates from the Mayor’s Office on the Western Alaska disaster response, the Anchorage Health Department on upcoming funding contracts, and shelter operations by RRS. The Anchorage Police Department presented a live dashboard on the new camping and fire ordinances. Public testimony highlighted immediate needs for shelter capacity and concerns about enforcement. No formal votes were taken.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Charles White expressed frustration that enforcement efforts are not helping people and urged the committee to move from talk to action, especially for those who are unhoused and have no alternatives.
• Brian Vaughan stated he has been arrested twice for self-sheltering despite no shelter beds being available. He noted that 300 million dollars have been spent since 2019 with little visible progress.
• James Randy reported that his belongings were burned by a vigilante, that shelters were full, and that he had previously suffered frostbite. He pleaded for direction and help to avoid becoming a fatality.
• Karen Barnard described being illegally evicted and denied reasonable accommodations for disabilities in shelters. She noted that HUD funds for Alaska Housing sat unused and that she was turned down for three apartments. She requested a solo room, citing health risks and bedbug issues.
• Jamie Lopez (formerly with Coalition on Homelessness) criticized the approach of APD enforcement, stating people are being run into the ground and that there is no plan to keep people alive. He warned that without sufficient shelter, deaths will increase.

Discussion Items

Mayor’s Update on Western Alaska Disaster Response

• Mayor presented an emergent request from the state to temporarily house up to 1,500 people from Western Alaska who lost homes due to a disaster. An additional 500 people would go directly to UAA.
• The first wave is expected to be residents of Kipnack, including families, elders, and entire communities.
• The city is exploring large-scale municipal facilities (Egan Center, Sullivan Arena, Denina Center) for shelter; the Denina Center is currently hosting AFN and is not the first choice.
• Donations are being collected at Lyndon Transport (baby wipes, diapers, non-perishable food) and the Denina Center. The Alaska Community Foundation is accepting cash donations. The Alaska Native Heritage Center is also organizing a fundraiser.
• The committee agreed to post donation information on the committee website.

Anchorage Health Department Updates (Director Kimberly Rash)

1. Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) Contract: Proposed funding to ICA for comprehensive HMIS reporting, reducing administrative burden on grantees and AHD. The contract amount was not specified; it will come before the committee in November.
2. Anchorage Affordable Housing and Land Trust (AAHLT): Proposed $550,000 in HOME-ARP funds for supportive services at existing housing sites (Barrett and another location). This is a substantial amendment to the HUD plan; public comment period is open. Scheduled for the first meeting in November.
3. Micro-Unit Grant: The health department received $400,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies for micro-unit development. Funds will flow to ACDA to add up to eight additional micro-units to an existing project (already funded with $1.2 million from opioid settlement funds). One unit will be ADA accessible. The project is on track for a November completion, with a slight delay for the new units.

Shelter Operations Update (Emily Robinson, RRS)

• Current shelter system (300 beds) is operating at or near capacity every night.
• In October, nine individuals were moved directly to housing; three went to Providence House with community funds. Example of coordinated flight home for an individual to Minnesota.
• Abatement scheduled for October 21 at Russian Jack and Willow; beds are held for abatement days to offer shelter.
• Challenges: clients with behavioral health issues being shuffled between shelters; individuals unable to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) – shelter system lacks personal care attendants. The Anchorage Safety Center (capacity 45) is being used for drop-offs, but not as a warming center for all.
• Bed bug treatment at East 56th Avenue location completed; follow-up treatment today.
• Recommendation to activate surge capacity gradually (10 beds at a time, up to 150 total) rather than all at once, pending funding source.

APD Dashboard and AO Update (Lieutenant Fuchs)

• The APD dashboard is live (since about October 2) on the APD website, showing data on camping ordinance enforcement and fire ordinance arrests. Updated monthly.
• Dashboard metrics: arrests, subjects who complied voluntarily, and subjects who accepted services (for camping ordinance). Fire ordinance only shows arrests due to data system limitations.
• Enforcement process: officers respond to citizen reports, investigate, give reasonable time to leave (up to 24 hours), then follow up. Compliance is prioritized over arrest.
• Hope Team and Impact Team engage with campers to offer services and connections to shelter.
• From September data, four arrests were made under the camping ordinance; more arrests have occurred since then.
• The police department is refocusing patrol response to manage these calls more effectively.

Key Outcomes

• No formal motions or votes were taken during the meeting.
• The committee received updates and will consider the following items at upcoming meetings:
  • ICA contract (November)
  • AAHLT contract ($550K, first meeting in November)
  • Micro-unit grant acceptance (next agenda, possibly addendum)
• The committee will post donation information for Western Alaska disaster relief on its website.
• Surge capacity activation remains under discussion, pending funding and planning by the Health Department and RRS.