Within the last week, four homeless individuals have passed away in Anchorage, signifying the city’s persistent difficulty in providing shelter for its significant homeless population as winter arrives again; a total of two feet of snow fell in 48 hours during the past week.

This year, the number of fatalities among those living outdoors in Anchorage has now reached 49, surpassing the 24 people who passed away in the city in the previous year, according to a tally compiled by the Anchorage Daily News.

Winter months saw eleven fatalities in the previous year.

This week, in Anchorage, numerous tents and vehicles were seen covered in snow – these makeshift camps were established by the homeless population after the closure of the mass shelter in the city’s sports arena due to the pandemic.

Although the municipality managed to vacate one of the larger encampments, certain individuals have chosen to remain outdoors for the winter instead of taking shelter.

On Thursday, a female who was sleeping her shelter, died in a fire that may have been initiated by a form of heating appliance used to keep her makeshift home warm. This was one of the four fatalities that have occurred recently.

Three male fatalities occurred elsewhere. One was discovered in the entrance to a city gift shop in which he habitually used for sleep and shelter. Another perished alongside a bustling street near a Walmart, and the last one in a tent near the city’s central library.

The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness suggested that, even though beds were available when each person passed away, other elements could have contributed, such as a lack of transportation, difficulty accessing health care, uncertainty on how to secure a bed or place on a wait list, and refusing to stay in a shelter.

An effective way to reduce deaths occurring in the outdoors, the statement declared, is to make sure those without shelter have access to healthcare, Narcan, fentanyl test strips, guidance on harm reduction, and treatment for behavioral health.

Rivera, the Anchorage Assembly’s Housing and Homeless Committee chair, expressed his pondering of what could have been done to keep the four deaths from occurring. “It makes you wonder,” he said.

He maintained that the only way to avoid further fatalities is to construct more housing, and the city has managed to find a short-term solution with additional beds in temporary shelters.

He noted that they would strive to ensure that no one is facing death outdoors, but that a temporary solution is not ideal. “Eventually, our resources will be depleted if we don’t address the issue in a more lasting manner,” he concluded.

In Anchorage, a resolution to the housing crisis of the homeless has been elusive since the arena shut down.

Mayor Dave Bronson, a conservative, and the liberal assembly of the city were unable to come to an agreement on a new mass shelter, leading Bronson to suggest the city give out tickets for the homeless to leave the city via airplane. This idea was met with much disapproval, both inside and outside of Alaska.

Because the plan for additional shelter was never realized, Anchorage had to look for alternative solutions. At the end of the previous month, a new 150-bed mass shelter opened at the city’s former waste transfer station administration building.

Alexis Johnson, the head of the city’s homeless department, told the Associated Press that the temporary plan should be enough to offer beds to the city’s vulnerable population of around 3,100.

On Friday, Rivera predicted that the 28 beds available at one particular facility would most likely be filled by the end of the weekend.

At the upcoming Assembly gathering, the Bronson government will be introducing strategies to boost the bed count of the facility by 50, a step which Rivera considers a positive move. He also speculated that the administration might introduce plans for warming centers and another refuge, if needed.

Due to the significant snowfall, city buses were unable to run on Thursday and Friday, which eliminated a way for the homeless to find shelter from the elements and stopped those with low incomes from getting to shelters or other social service programs, Rivera noted.

This week’s weather has been relatively mild, with temperatures around -1-degree Celsius, however, that is about to change. The forecast predicts single-digit temperatures for the days ahead.

  Anchorage, deaths, homeless, record, shelter