It’s been raining a lot in Anchorage this past week and it is just a matter of time before rain turns to snow. Winter is just around the corner; and while we are still operating the congregate shelter in Midtown, we’re concerned about how the municipality will shelter the nearly 3,200 Alaskans who are experiencing homelessness when temperatures drop. Between 2017 and October 2021, Anchorage watched as 74 Alaskans perished outside. In 2022, 24 more outdoor deaths were reported. Last year, 52 Alaskans, our neighbors and community members, froze to death. This year Anchorage has already seen an additional 12 outdoor deaths. In the past seven years, more than 160 Alaskans have died due to our city’s ineffective homeless response programs.
How many more Alaskans need to die before our response system changes?
Outside of shelter operations, we operate and manage the Golden Lion. The Golden Lion is owned by the municipality and is leased to Henning to house 80 formerly homeless Alaskans through low-income housing. Recently, we were informed that the Golden Lion will be used for a different municipal project in 2025, meaning that low-income housing will no longer be available for all 80 tenants. We hope that the city has a plan to transition our tenants into new housing options, and not force them back into the cycle of homelessness.
I hope the municipality will remember the 162 deaths their system has caused as winter continues to near.
Shawn Hays
Founder & Executive Director
Henning Inc.
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