Anchorage wants to send its homeless to warmer climates. What could possibly go wrong? (Fairbanks: apartments, to rent)

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Alaska and Hawaii are not similar to the rest of US due to their geography. Once the homeless leave a return is highly unlikely. Therefore, I believe it’s incumbent upon those responsible for relocating them to at least make an attempt at being responsible.
The reality is simply not equivalent to giving a Minnesotan a bus ticket to Wisconsin.

There simply is no way to keep all these people safe this winter.

According to the article, were over 3,000 homeless people counted last winter. Anchorage has 1,100 beds between the shelters and putting people up in the sports arena.

You to the math.

The responsible thing is help people get to where they won't freeze to death, or lose their toes, fingers, and noses to frostbite.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from. Do have a link by any chance?

In my experience, county social workers and programs funded by block grants through the county are the primary sources of arranging for tickets.

For example, the Salvation Army often has funds for travel expenses for those who have a reasonable destination, but no way to get there.

Look it up. It's not hard to find a list of government sponsored homeless relocation programs in the United States. Type the question directly into your search bar and press the enter key. You can also easily find information about this by reading and understanding The Guardian'sthe study of these programs. Most relocation programs are administered by individual cities. In Hawaii, it's administered by the state. And you're twisting words yet again anyway. There's a difference between the "primary sources of arranging for the tickets" and the programs themselves.

The SA's program is a separate entity that provides very limited conditional assistance; not sure it's relevant here or what it's supposed to serve as an example as.

The responsible thing is help people get to where they won't freeze to death, or lose their toes, fingers, and noses to frostbite.

Sure — like an indoor place to sleep.

And like I've already told you, this proposed program doesn't specify that the destinations be warm places where no one ever freezes to death when sleeping outside. Additionally, I'm at my home in the lower 48 just now, and it's triple digits with so much smoke from the wildfires that's it's unsafe to be outdoors for any length of time.

It pretty much comes down to this:

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Alaska and Hawaii are not similar to the rest of US due to their geography. Once the homeless leave a return is highly unlikely. Therefore, I believe it’s incumbent upon those responsible for relocating them to at least make an attempt at being responsible.
The reality is simply not equivalent to giving a Minnesotan a bus ticket to Wisconsin.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

So, you don't have any links to to support what you are posting.

[Klassyhk]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

I haven't been in Anchorage for a long time, but I have heard stories from friends who have been there recently that sound similar to what you have said above. Supposedly the whole thing is getting out of hand, specially when it gets colder.
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/20...ss-population/

The data about the demographics of the homeless population only covers 65% of them. Who comprises the remaining 35% of the homeless population?

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

So, you don't have any links to to support what you are posting.

I told you exactly how to find the source, even down to what words to type into your searchbar. You should be able to manage that much. And it's not hard to look up individual relocation programs and see how they're administered (as the result of municipal initiatives).

Nonetheless, given how you came into this thread telling us "how this works" and persisted in insisting that we thought this was "something new!!!" that we'd never heard of before combined with your propensity to put words in my mouth and twist them, it's just not a conversation I'm going to put much effort into. I'd rather discuss this with those who know at least a little something about the situation.

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Alaska and Hawaii are not similar to the rest of US due to their geography. Once the homeless leave a return is highly unlikely. Therefore, I believe it’s incumbent upon those responsible for relocating them to at least make an attempt at being responsible.
The reality is simply not equivalent to giving a Minnesotan a bus ticket to Wisconsin.

I would also add that it would disproportionately affect indigenous people who may have never been to the -48 and who likely don't have the street smarts to survive in environments such as LA et al.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I would also add that it would disproportionately affect indigenous people who may have never been to the -48 and who likely don't have the street smarts to survive in environments such as LA et al.

I'm from a town of about 500 that isn't even isolated like most villages are, and had a great education and a lot of support and structure, and even so when I moved to The Big City (which was not even a patch on an actual metropolis) for college, it was like moving to a different planet. I can't even imagine getting dumped in LA alone and without contacts if I were from, like, Kwethluk. This plan is gonna result in people being eaten alive.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by SkyLark2019

Don't judge the homeless so harshly.

Bro, did you read the thread? No one here is judging the homeless. Everyone knows the rental market in most parts of Alaska is currently super broken and even people with good jobs and clean records often have trouble securing safe decent housing.

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

There simply is no way to keep all these people safe this winter.

According to the article, were over 3,000 homeless people counted last winter. Anchorage has 1,100 beds between the shelters and putting people up in the sports arena.

You to the math.

Read more carefully. The article said about 3,000 people accessed anti-homelessness services in a month. That doesn't mean there are 3,000 homeless people who need lodging every night. That number would include people who were between residences for just a few nights at a time while being between residences, people who could secure housing but needed help doing so, people who need legal support for tenancy issues to prevent becoming homeless, teens who ran away or got the boot but haven't yet connected with OCS, etc.

In reality they're maybe a few hundred beds short on any given night, which is a drop in the bucket in terms of a city's budget, if there's a will to do at least the minimum to keep people from freezing. Of course, actually getting people off the streets in a more permanent way would require more solutions like rehab, mental health support, and transitional housing options. You know what Alaska's REALLY short of, statewide? Safe detox facilities.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by Klassyhk

The data about the demographics of the homeless population only covers 65% of them. Who comprises the remaining 35% of the homeless population?

August 2022, Alaska Natives represent over 40% of the homeless population in Anchorage.
<snip>
Data collected by social service agencies throughout Anchorage in August of this year, and reported to ICA, looked at the racial makeup, finding whites made up 40% of the homeless population, with 15% being Black and about 10% being of either Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Asian descent.

My math says that's 105%. Presumably it's over 100% due to rounding and/or people reporting multiple races.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

Originally Posted by Frostnip

Bro, did you read the thread? No one here is judging the homeless. Everyone knows the rental market in most parts of Alaska is currently super broken and even people with good jobs and clean records often have trouble securing safe decent housing.



Read more carefully. The article said about 3,000 people accessed anti-homelessness services in a month. That doesn't mean there are 3,000 homeless people who need lodging every night. That number would include people who were between residences for just a few nights at a time while being between residences, people who could secure housing but needed help doing so, people who need legal support for tenancy issues to prevent becoming homeless, teens who ran away or got the boot but haven't yet connected with OCS, etc.

In reality they're maybe a few hundred beds short on any given night, which is a drop in the bucket in terms of a city's budget, if there's a will to do at least the minimum to keep people from freezing. Of course, actually getting people off the streets in a more permanent way would require more solutions like rehab, mental health support, and transitional housing options. You know what Alaska's REALLY short of, statewide? Safe detox facilities.

"At the end of June, Anchorage was estimated to have a little more than 3,150 homeless people, according to the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. "

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-na...be1e256aaf71b4

Yes, it does. It means over 3,000 people in need of lodging, and while the homeless count includes those who are temporarily between residences, there are not over 2,000 people who are temporarily between residences.

Check out this site for more information on this.

https://aceh.org

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

I worked on a Crisis Intervention Team in Anchorage for several years and still keep in touch with former colleagues.

They are swamped with homeless people, native Alaskan as well all those from the lower 48 who came up in hopes their fortunes would improve.

Many struggle with drug and alcohol issues, and yes, more detox/rehab facilities are needed. But in my experience, most who access detox/rehab, either on their own or as condition of an encounter with the Anchorage police, are back drinking and/or using again within a short time.

It makes housing them a challenge.

The Sullivan Arena was a mess last year. Lots of reports of misbehavior both in and around the arena. But despite all the problems, it will likely be open again this year because there are no other housing options.