Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness

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Without coordination at the Municipal level, Centennial Park will continue to be unsafe

For immediate release
June 30, 2022

Anchorage, Ak - As news comes out about the status of Centennial Park, there are serious concerns about the safety of those staying there and the community. There are reports that people are showing up to the campground without tents, blankets, or options for basic shelter required for sleeping outside. Additionally, there are reported concerns regarding food storage, bear encounters, security, sanitation, and food, all of which were avoidable with communication between the Mayor’s office and the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and the Homelessness Prevention Response System (HPRS). Based on comments from the Mayor’s office there is not a plan for staffing the property, explicitly stating this is not a homelessness response, yet that is exactly what is needed.

After ensuring that people leaving the Sullivan Arena were supported, ACEH staff and HPRS providers immediately started to respond to the most significant unmet needs at Centennial Park, asking the community to come forward with water, water bottles, padlocks to secure tents, sunscreen, bug spray and hygiene supplies before the long holiday weekend. Beans Café is donating food, and with the number of people staying there likely to change significantly in the coming days, it is unknown how sustainable this service is. Without a point person in the Municipality to manage resources being directed to Centennial Park, ACEH believes there will be limited ability to serve the approximately 150+ people staying there. A strategic distribution system is needed. While the community has assisted with immediate needs, without coordinated intervention and ongoing resources, this last-minute decision by the Municipality will continue to present major challenges to campers’ and the community’s safety.

Important decisions regarding the safety of vulnerable Anchorage residents, and which impact the entire community, need to be made with subject matter experts at the table. One of the greatest takeaways from the Sullivan Arena is that any large-scale effort must be thought out with a plan for how to stand it down. The chaos of this moment is a result of the lack of forward-thinking and is harmful to people experiencing homelessness, the service providers that support them, and all of Anchorage.

If you are a concerned community member who would like to help, ACEH is receiving donations of new or used water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray and sun-protective hats on Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-4pm at 3427 E Tudor Road, Suite A, Anchorage, AK 99507. We have also stood up two meal delivery sites at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church - 855 E 20th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501 and First United Methodist Church - 725 W 9th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-1pm.

Media Contact: Owen Hutchinson, (907) 312-9547
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness . PO Box 243041 . Anchorage, AK 99524 . USA