The Anchorage Assembly will vote next week on a proposal to extend operations at the Sullivan Arena shelter, with the intention of allowing people who are severely sick and disabled to stay while more alternative housing is secured.
“We spend roughly $1 million a month to keep the Sullivan open, with no end in sight,” said Daniel Volland, who represents the Fairview area, which has seen many of the most concentrated negative impacts from the shelter. “Housing, and well-operated permanent shelter, provide stability. But the Sullivan is not a stable solution.
“We’re not talking about people who can manage themselves. These are people who cannot manage themselves in the community without supports,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, head of Restorative Reentry Services, a small firm that has contracted with the municipality to advise on shelter operations. “Wheelchairs, canes, walkers, inability to walk for long periods of time. It also includes people with significant and severe mental health issues.
According to a census by McLaughlin’s organization of 337 individuals staying at the Sullivan last week, 174 were evaluated to be so severely disabled they need to be housed in a low-barrier shelter. In a report submitted to the Assembly, she recommended a “step-down plan” for demobilization that entails keeping shelter available for 190 individuals through May 31.
The Assembly will discuss such a proposal, including how many people will be allowed to stay and for how long, at its meeting on Tuesday, with a vote likely to follow.Zachariah Hughes covers Anchorage government, the military, dog mushing, subsistence issues and general assignments for the Anchorage Daily News. He also helps produce the ADN's weekly politics podcast. Prior to joining the ADN, he worked in Alaska’s public radio network, and got his start in journalism at KNOM in Nome.
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