In response to criticism, the Bronson administration has moved up the date of its second listening session about its plan to build a 200-person shelter in East Anchorage.
The listening session is now Monday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Loussac Library.
It was originally scheduled for later in the week — after the Assembly’s upcoming Tuesday meeting where it’s supposed to vote on whether to spend millions of dollars on the shelter plan. But critics argued the public should be able to give input on the plan before the Assembly’s decision.
The new shelter proposed by the Bronson administration is a key piece of the city’s plan to close the mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena, where upwards of 300 people have been sleeping each night since the pandemic began. City officials are calling the shelter proposal a navigation center, meaning it would be a place for people to sleep and also have services on site to help people connect to permanent housing, jobs and health care. It would have 200 beds but in emergencies could expand to sleep 330, according to the latest updates from a working group.
The shelter would be built on a parking lot on the corner of Tudor and Elmore roads next to the old police headquarters. The administration estimates it would cost about $9 million.
The Assembly has already approved $2.8 million to fund the shelter’s construction. It will be built by Sprung Structures, which makes prefabricated tent-like structures, and will be 29,000 feet, according to the working group update. It will take six to eight weeks to build, according to the update.
At the first listening session last week, some members of the public asked for more information about the new shelter, and raised concerns about the neighborhood effects of having so many people in the area.
An engineer involved with the project and project manager for the city attended the last meeting. Some raised concerns that there weren’t more senior members of the administration there.
Corey Allen Young, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in an email that there will be a “more robust group” from the administration at the listening session on Monday. Tyler Sachtleben, a spokesperson for the health department, said that the city will also have officials at the Sullivan Arena shelter to get feedback from people currently experiencing homelessness.
The Assembly will vote on funding for the shelter on Tuesday, the day after the second listening session. The administration is aiming to have the new shelter up and running by June 30.
Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.
