Contributed by Isaac Smoldon
On June 1st, Anchorage will be closing down the Sullivan Arena as a congregate shelter, and exiting the homeless that are currently housed there. For many this will be considered a victory, the nightmarish conditions inside the building have been well documented, with stories of death, drug use, and discord frequenting local news for over two years now.
But before residents of south-central Alaska break out the confetti and celebrate the ending of a policy that has done irreparable trauma and damage to not only the building, but also the population of Anchorage that have experienced homelessness over the past two years, one should consider how this closure will impact local residents and neighboring communities.
While Wasilla and Palmer currently have relatively low numbers of panhandlers operating inside the city limits, (and there is good reason why that is compared to Anchorage’s situation) after June 1st, The Valley can expect current residents of the Sullivan to make their way out to the greener panhandling pastures of the Mat-Su.
Does that mean that the Sullivan should remain open as a congregate shelter? Certainly not. Based off of the stories of individuals, (especially youth) that have spent time inside the makeshift shelter, the current situation is completely unacceptable. The Mat-Su’s homeless response system has a model that relies on crisis stabilization, networked partnership, and a variety of housing options.
Notice that the words “congregate shelter” and “coordinated entry” do not appear in that model. That is because these systems do nothing to solve the underlying and pervasive issues that cause both youth and adult homelessness in the first place, and that is also why residents of the Mat-Su should be very careful when Anchorage organizations talk about why the Valley should adopt these practices. Clearly if these methods worked for Anchorage, this article would not have been written.
The Mat-Su’s lower homeless numbers have everything to do with the excellent job of local organizations getting upstream of the “homeless problem,” with organizations like MY House, True North Recovery, Set Free Alaska, Mat-Su Health Services, Choosing our Roots, Valley Charities, Family Promise, Daybreak, Knik Tribe, and Sara’s House providing excellent youth and adult housing, and addiction and behavioral health treatment services. In fact, most of the panhandlers currently in the Mat-Su are stably housed, a fact that most Valley residents would probably be surprised by.
This leads to the main point. The Mat-Su has to do something to make panhandling in the Valley as unappealing as possible, before this latest wave of Anchorage drifters hits in less than a month.
The solution can be multi-faceted. For one, if you are an individual who gives cash to current panhandlers, stop. Gas and food cards are just as impactful for individuals who truly need assistance, and cash can be used to buy alcohol and drugs, an underlying reason for homelessness in the first place. It also encourages panhandling in the Mat-Su and perpetuates the idea that handouts are a solution, which they are not. Signage stating this at common “hand-out” locations could help make a difference, and the cities of Wasilla and Palmer respectively may need to look at a solution like this.
Furthermore, some sort of crisis stabilization response team needs to be implemented in order to supplement both the State Troopers and the Wasilla and Palmer police departments in helping individuals currently out on the street. These various law enforcement agencies often don’t have the time or resources to deal with local drifters, and even when they do, jailing them or taking legal action is a huge drain on the taxpayer.
Ultimately, the solution comes down to helping individuals work their way out of homelessness, using the variety of resources the Mat-Su has available, not handing out cash or throwing every homeless person into an empty stadium. Is this the easiest solution? Absolutely not, but homelessness isn’t a problem that you can just throw money at until it goes away. It takes the dedicated effort of individuals both inside the homeless services network and from homeless individuals themselves to help get people off the streets and reintegrated into the community. But if residents of the Valley aren’t careful and the “Anchorage way” of tackling this problem become the norm, then expect the Menard to be filled with former Sullivan residents sooner rather than later.
About the Author:
Isaac Smoldon graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a degree in Journalism and Public Communications and currently works at the MY House youth drop-in center in Wasilla Alaska as their production manager. He is also a member of the Mat-Su Youth Action Board and has lived in the Valley since high school.