Anchorage wants to send its homeless to warmer climates. What could possibly go wrong? (Metlakatla: sales, unemployed)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Northrick

He used to own the Bubbly Mermaid bar in downtown Anchorage. It was a very small bar that specialized in champagne and oysters. We've had a lot of fun in that bar. But somewhere during the pandemic things took a bad turn and he lost the bar. It was disheartening to hear he is trying to be a slum lord.


It would be great if an oyster farm run by homeless people worked out but I wouldn't bet on it.

These small oyster farms down here were designed to be operated by one or two people and can't really support multiple workers, and since they operate on leases, there isn't room for expansion. And they're off-grid, and not in a way that means the local grocery store is an hour's drive away.

Was wondering whether that guy was charging people to live in those vehicles.

These derelict RV communities need to be stopped as soon as they get started, imo, or you end up with entire neighborhoods with one after another parked along the curb intersperesed with tents and chop shops. Anchorage is under the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court and is therefore required to allow sleeping in public spaces if there are no shelter spaces available, but that doesn't mean it has to be ANY public space; they can designate a certain area an disallow it everywhere else.

[Northrick]

Seems New York City is trying to muscle in on our mayor's idea:


https://www.axios.com/2023/10/26/new...-plane-tickets

[Led Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/0...27s%20my%20job.



https://abc7news.com/anchorage-alask...eles/13577879/



I'm not going to pretend to know what the answer is, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it.

Fly them up to the North Pole or across the strait to Kamchatka. That's out of state too, and cheaper.

[masterchef1]

In NYC they have been buying one way bus tickets for homeless for years, nothing new to dump your homeless on others.

[D-Towner]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/0...27s%20my%20job.



https://abc7news.com/anchorage-alask...eles/13577879/



I'm not going to pretend to know what the answer is, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it.

How much money does Anchorage have to fly people to Honolulu at the taxpayer's expense?

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by D-Towner

How much money does Anchorage have to fly people to Honolulu at the taxpayer's expense?

He mentioned a low fare to LA when discussing this at the time of being filmed.

But I'm sure Honolulu would be an option, if there happened to be any good deals floating about.
Someone told me of a $90 fare to Hawaii from Seattle or other west coast cities recently.

Not likely to see a real cheap fare to Hawaii from Anchorage anytime soon. Despite the cost, I'd imagine the mayor would argue this would be cheaper than keeping them in Alaska.

[Arktikos]

The Anchorage homeless situation made for a story in the NYT today. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/u...ss-deaths.html

"...A running tally of homeless deaths kept by the city’s largest newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, is now up to 49 — more than double last year’s toll.

“It is fairly depressing, just unimaginable, the number of deaths we have been having,” said Felix Rivera, a member of the Anchorage Assembly who leads the Housing and Homelessness Committee.

The harsh winters in Alaska have long brought dangers for those sleeping outside. But this year, those conditions have joined a confluence of other factors contributing to a dire situation: a housing crisis, the spread of fentanyl and a dearth of shelter beds after the city shuttered a large shelter in a city arena six months ago.,,"

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

The Anchorage homeless situation made for a story in the NYT today. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/u...ss-deaths.html

"...A running tally of homeless deaths kept by the city’s largest newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, is now up to 49 — more than double last year’s toll.

“It is fairly depressing, just unimaginable, the number of deaths we have been having,” said Felix Rivera, a member of the Anchorage Assembly who leads the Housing and Homelessness Committee.

The harsh winters in Alaska have long brought dangers for those sleeping outside. But this year, those conditions have joined a confluence of other factors contributing to a dire situation: a housing crisis, the spread of fentanyl and a dearth of shelter beds after the city shuttered a large shelter in a city arena six months ago.,,"

The Sullivan Arena was built as an entertainment building - hockey, basketball, music, etc. It never was intended to be, and isn't ideal, for a homeless shelter.


Had Mr. Rivera and the other assembly members gone at least part way with the mayor's plan (and I'm no fan of Bronson), the city would at least have something set up to accommodate people who just won't do anything until they are on the verge of death.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

Originally Posted by Northrick

The Sullivan Arena was built as an entertainment building - hockey, basketball, music, etc. It never was intended to be, and isn't ideal, for a homeless shelter.


Had Mr. Rivera and the other assembly members gone at least part way with the mayor's plan (and I'm no fan of Bronson), the city would at least have something set up to accommodate people who just won't do anything until they are on the verge of death.

What was the mayor's plan?

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould

What was the mayor's plan?

Basically a giant tent built on city land. He wanted it to house a 1,000 people, which is ridiculous, but the city assembly fought him tooth and nail on doing anything. $2.5 million later and there is a foundation and nothing more. The mayor is inept but there should have been some sort of compromise.


As it is now, the congregate shelter this year is a garage the city used to maintain garbage trucks that was recently vacated when they opened a new solid waste facility.