Homelessness
RSSAnchorage unsheltered population, cold-weather shelter policy, housing-first initiatives, encampment cleanups, permanent supportive housing
Juneau and Anchorage youth shelters get $650,000 in federal grants for runaway and homeless youth
Youth shelters in Juneau and Anchorage are getting $650,000 in new federal grants to give runaway and homeless kids a safe place to stay and help getting home.
by Maggie AlaskaNews7h ago2 min read
Anchorage police launch phased pre-arrest deflection pilot Sept. 23
Anchorage's deflection pilot begins Sept. 23. Police make the referral, True North handles navigation and community providers deliver treatment.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Anchorage weighs $2.8M state payment, most of it for winter shelter
Anchorage cut $1 million in contracted surge shelter beds when alcohol tax revenue fell short. State money would put them back ahead of winter.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago2 min read
Anchorage weighs who decides when cold-weather shelter opens
An Anchorage ordinance up Sept. 15 would let the health director decide when emergency shelter opens, replacing the current 45-degree trigger.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
A state windfall would restore shelter capacity Anchorage cut this year
Anchorage cut $1 million in shelter surge capacity when alcohol-tax revenue fell short. An unexpected state payment would let the city restore it.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min read
Federal grant will test a Yup'ik healing framework against homelessness
Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness won $450,000 to serve Alaska Native households facing homelessness through case management and traditional Yup'ik healing practices through August 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Anchorage ordinance would drop 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site cap to 200
Anchorage would drop its automatic 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site limits to 200 and open rec centers, with one director deciding when shelter opens.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage permits more housing than last year, but from a near-record low
Anchorage permitted more housing this year than in 2024 or 2025, the mayor says — but those were near-record lows, still far below its 1,000-a-year target.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A state grant would keep TB screening running at Anchorage homeless shelters
A $2.77 million grant before the Anchorage Assembly would keep public health nurses screening for TB at shelters — the clearance many people need to get in.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Federal money can now put a homeless family in a motel room to keep a kid in school
Federal guidance now lets Alaska schools use homeless-education money for a motel room when no shelter's available — a last resort to keep a child in school.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's camping ordinance produces plenty of compliance — but few people taking services, and homelessness still visible
Anchorage police contacted 1,085 people under the camping ban since August 2025, but only 72 accepted services, raising questions about enforcement paired with outreach.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A year in, Anchorage's camping ordinance mostly moves people along, not into services
A year of Anchorage's camping ordinance: 89% of contacts end without arrest, but 890 of 962 people who complied left with no referral to services. The Assembly reviews it Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Free daily meals and pantries available across Anchorage in August
A free hot meal is available somewhere in Anchorage every day this month, plus two dozen food pantries citywide. Call 211 or check anchoragefood.org for the schedule.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Juneau neighbors want a homeless camp cleared after a reported bear shooting
Neighbors near Juneau's Governor's Mansion want a homeless camp cleared after a camper reportedly shot a bear — a flashpoint in Alaska's rising camp tension.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $500K shelter contract increase as earlier amendments used Title 7 waivers
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $500,000 shelter contract increase, bringing the total to nearly $4.93 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage shelter contract has grown from $1 million to nearly $5 million in a year
A homeless-shelter contract the Anchorage Assembly approved at $1 million a year ago has grown to nearly $5 million. It votes on another $500,000 increase Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Nearly $1 million for Anchorage's safety net goes to an Assembly vote
Anchorage's Assembly votes July 7 on nearly $978,000 for nine nonprofits that feed the homeless, shelter abuse survivors, and help families and kids in crisis.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly approves True North deflection contract with APD
Anchorage Assembly approved a contract with True North Recovery to connect people arrested for low-level offenses to treatment instead of jail, funded by opioid settlement money.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly set to award $1.35M in homeless housing grants to five nonprofits
Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on $1.35 million in housing grants to five nonprofits serving homeless people and domestic violence survivors.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage homeless residents tell Assembly: shelters worse than jail
Two sets of lived experience meet at Anchorage's homelessness debate: those in shelters and those who watched encampments grow.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
True North dropped crisis services from Fairview plan after months of pushback
Fairview pushed back. True North revised. No more crisis services in the Fairview building — outpatient and a mobile van instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $1.35M in supportive housing grants
Five Anchorage nonprofits would split $1.35M for supportive housing on June 23. The pandemic-era funding clock is still ticking.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
A Pacific Islander nonprofit told an Anchorage homelessness commission its housing assistance program is over-subscribed — and asked for city funding to expand it
Polynesian Association seeks Anchorage funding for housing assistance
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cold-injury hospitalizations rose among Alaska's unhoused over the past decade, state finds
Nearly one in four Alaskans hospitalized for cold injuries between 2012 and 2021 were unhoused, a rate that climbed steadily over the decade while housed residents stayed flat.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage sees 28% drop in unsheltered homelessness as shelters reach capacity
Anchorage officials say there are fewer people sleeping unsheltered in Anchorage, but it was pretty cold all winter.
by Cale Green4mo ago3 min read
Homer posts conflicting times for Tuesday's council work session
The City of Homer has posted two different start times for a May 19, 2026 council work session on different pages of its website, with no agenda yet available.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readAnchorage treatment facility debate exposes gaps in public process
The Housing and Homelessness Action Commission meeting became a forum for community concerns about a proposed True North Recovery treatment facility in Fairview, highlighting tensions between municipal funding requirements and neighborhood engagement.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min read
House Panel Hears Bill to Waive ID Fees for Homeless Young Adults
House Bill 334 would eliminate state fees for identification documents and birth certificates for homeless adults aged 18-25, while expanding address verification options.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read