Anchorage scrambles to find enough housing for the homeless before the Alaska winter sets in

An outdoor tent city for the homeless is seen July 26, 2023, across from the city's historic railroad depot in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Officials in Alaska's largest city are scrambling to find enough shelter for homeless people before the first snowfall usually in October, after the city's mass shelter held in at the "Sullivan Arena"was closed. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Provide news feedback or report an error

By Associated Press

September 16, 2023 at 6:28 PM UTC

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson gained national attention this summer when he proposed buying one-way airfare out of Alaska's largest city for anyone without housing who wanted to leave before winter.

Now, with the first snow just weeks away, those free tickets are nowhere in sight and the city is scrambling to pull together a grab bag of housing options for its more than 3,000 unsheltered residents. The city’s mass shelter in a sports arena closed after complaints from neighbors about bad behavior and bickering between the city’s liberal Assembly and conservative mayor killed hopes for a new permanent shelter and navigation center to take its place.