ANCHORAGE – Today, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced the opening of 56 units of permanent supportive housing for Anchorage residents suffering from chronic alcoholism, chronic homelessness, and mental disorders.

The housing is located at Safe Harbor Inn Merrill which had previously provided “transitional” housing, offering short-term housing assistance without intensive case management.

The earlier allocated $200,000 of Municipal funding will leverage $820,717 of funding from the Home Investment Partnerships Program and a Community Development Block Grant. It will also leverage an additional $700,000 in behavioral health funding from the State of Alaska ensuring the facility is fully funded for three years.

“We are fortunate that Anchorage was able to leverage our resources and partner with the federal and state governments and with RurAL CAP to open the doors on a facility that provides long-term relief to a serious public safety issue,” said Mayor Berkowitz.

RurAL CAP estimates a chronic homeless alcoholic incurs public costs of over $60,000 annually for medical services, police and fire response, Community Safety Patrol (CSP) pickups, the criminal justice system and social services. Funding for the intensive case management component comes from a $1,875,000 multi-year state funded Chronic Inebriate Anti-recidivism grant targeting individuals with the highest number of admissions into the Anchorage Safety Center.

For more information contact Myer Hutchinson at (907) 343-7133.

  alcoholism, Anchorage, community development block grant, ethan berkowitz, homeless, housing, mayor, mental disorders, safe harbor inn merrill, supportive housing