Join us via Facebook Live TONIGHT, Thursday 9/17 for the second night of the four-part Housing and Homelessness Town Hall Series! Tune in TONIGHT 9/17, 9/24 and 10/8 at 6PM as state legislative candidates discuss their perspectives and policy goals on the suite of issues pertaining to housing in Anchorage.

Tonight's participants are as follows:

• Sen. Tom Begich - Senate J
• Rep. Andy Josephson - House 17
• Rep. Geran Tarr - House 19
• Rep. Zack Fields - House 20

The Anchorage Home Builder’s Association (AHBA) and the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) will partner with the Seawolf Speech and Debate Program, and Anchorage Daily News to host four live-streamed candidate town hall discussions for upcoming state elections. These events were made possible with support from Rasmuson Foundation, the Atwood Foundation and Northrim Bank.

This is intended to be a neutral platform for candidates to discuss their perspectives and policy goals on the suite of issues pertaining to housing and homelessness in Anchorage. This opportunity provides a forum to share information with the community on the systemic challenges to residential development, housing affordability, and addressing homelessness.

The need for this platform has been emphatically endorsed by both private builders as well as non-profit, affordable housing and other service providers: namely the cost and difficulty of erecting four walls within the Municipality is a major (but poorly understood/appreciated) barrier to improving the quality and affordability of our housing stock. This is true throughout the entirety of the price spectrum and has a direct impact on the building industry, cost and availability of local labor, and access to affordable housing. Simultaneously, there is a public outcry to address impacts of homelessness in our community that struggles to meaningfully engage with the root causes leading to homelessness.

Town Hall Series Details:

Part 2: September 17th at 6PM on Facebook Live

• Downtown and Midtown
• Senate District J (Mt. view, Downtown, Midtown, Spenard) and House Districts 17, 18, 19, 20
• Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/351315552716119

Part 3: September 24th at 6PM on Facebook Live

• West and Southwest Anchorage
• Senate Districts L (West Anchorage, Sand Lake, Dimond, Oceanview) and House Districts - 21, 22, 23, 24
• Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/255650392142581

Part 4: *DATE CHANGE* - OCTOBER 8th* at 6PM on Facebook Live

• South Muldoon, South Anchorage, and Girdwood
• Senate Districts M & N (South Anchorage/Hillside) and House Districts 25, 26, 27, 28 
• Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/789188438522237

Past Events:

Part 1: September 10th

• Click here to watch the recording of the Housing and Homelessness Town Hall Series: Part 1

The Town Hall discussions are not intended as a means for AHBA or ACEH to vet candidates for support, or for candidates to compete for our approval.  Our organizations/industry have distinct but frequently overlapping interests in these topics, and agree they are of critical importance to voters and the future of our community. Our goal is to provide candidates for State office with a platform to engage prospective voters on issues of great importance and concern to members of our community regardless of their political inclinations.

The 2020 Census ends on September 30th! Before it ends, there will be a count of our houseless population, conducted in two different ways, from September 22-24. Census workers will be going directly to service organizations, as well as camps and other public spaces.

The Census count will determine how much federal funding Alaska receives to support social services in Alaska, from housing to healthcare. It is vital to make sure our houseless community is counted.

Please help spread the word that the Census is safe and secure. The Bureau will not share individual information with any other government agency. It only takes a few minutes to respond and will help ensure we have necessary services for our community for the next 10 years.

You can let individual clients know about the Census, spread the word on Facebook with any of the graphics below, or just keep an eye out for Census workers when they arrive at service-based locations next Tuesday-Thursday.

If you have questions please reach out Veri di Suvero at [email protected]  or the Census Bureau's partnership specialist Keisha Lafayette at [email protected].

The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) will hold our monthly Homeless Prevention & Response System (HPRS) Advisory Council meeting Thursday, September 24, 2020 from 4 PM - 6 PM on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/93891381028?pwd=WUFBQkpqazVNSURheE1TOFNYN0RDdz09&from=msft. The meeting is open to ACEH members and the public.

The HPRS Advisory Council meeting will include the following:

• Monthly updates from the HPRS Advisory Council
• Pre-Registered Member Comment and Public Comment

Public Comment:

• The last 20 minutes of the meeting will be reserved for pre-registered membership comment and public comment (time is limited to 3 minutes)
• If you would like to sign up for public comment please email [email protected] by noon on Wednesday, September 23, 2020
• ACEH members in good standing* will have speaking priority
• To find out if you are a current member of ACEH or to become a member, please email [email protected]

*To be in good standing membership dues must be postmarked in the mail at least 1 week prior to the monthly meeting. Members in good standing can vote and receive speaking priority during public comment all HPRS Advisory Council meetings.

How do I become an ACEH member?

Send completed forms to [email protected] with any questions you may have about membership.

Membership scholarships are available for an agency or individual who lacks the financial resources as determined by the Advisory Council. Membership fees are waived for individuals experiencing homelessness or those with lived experience.