Governor Dunleavy Signed SB 2002 with Line Item Vetoes
On Thursday, the Governor signed SB2002 (Capital Budget). Unfortunately, the Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) received a partial veto, cutting it in half to $3.6 Million. Earlier in the year, the legislature passed and the Governor signed HB40 (Mental Health Bill) which appropriated $950K of Mental Health Trust dollars to HAP, so the total amount of HAP funding this year is $4.55M. HAP is a core source of funding for our local shelters and prevention services. Last year it was funded at $7.8M. There is still opportunity for an override which would have to happen within the first 5 days of the next regular or special legislative session. We are waiting to see if a special session is called. Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) is currently working to finalize a plan to distribute these funds and remains committed to maintaining capacity and providing funding as quickly as possible considering the circumstances. On a better note, SB2002 did retain the AHFC match for Continuum of Care funding at last year’s level. This match allows Anchorage to access more than $4 M of federal funding for local housing and support services. SB 2002 also retains the increase in Special Need Housing Grant (SNHG) funding which funds supportive housing in Anchorage. SB 2001 is also on the Governor's desk which includes the Human Services Community Matching Grant (HSCMG) / Community Initiative Matching Grants Program (CIMGP) funding and needs to be signed by 8/30.
You can find more information on the budget and the vetoes in the following links:
The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) and the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2) are partnering to create a more comprehensive statewide education and advocacy strategy as the Governor’s office has signaled strongly that they anticipate more cuts in the years ahead. We will be providing further information about resources that will be available and how individual organizations can get involved on our respective listservs.
Anchorage's Civil Emergency has been extended
The Assembly voted on Tuesday to extend the Anchorage civil emergency to September 24. This will allow time for community organizations to analyze budget impacts to operations. ACEH is working with the Assembly, Administration and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to determine next steps. Please reach out to ACEH at [email protected] directly if you determine additional impacts based on SB 2002.
