A message from our executive director, Meg Zaletel
Meg at the Houston visit press conference, 12/4/2023
We can solve homelessness.
“I wake up every day with a singular commitment to this work, and our community that has made dramatic progress in the past couple of years.”
As we close out 2023, it’s safe to say that this year was a tough year for our community. Not only did we see record numbers of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, those impacts were felt throughout Anchorage. But the visibility of homelessness, especially this summer, shouldn’t overshadow the fact that this was also a year with successes. The last of the hotel conversions starting housing people and between last year and this year, there are now nearly 270 filled housing units that didn’t previously exist, many of serving individuals who were formerly experiencing homelessness.
Additionally, we were extremely fortunate to have our colleagues from Houston, Texas, join us as we launched the Next Step pilot, which aims to house 150 people in six months. This is the most ambitious housing effort to date focused on those individuals experiencing literal homelessness and done in close partnership with the Municipality of Anchorage and service providers. Not only is this the most ambitious housing effort we’ve ever tried, but it’s also the most informed. Housing individuals with proper supports will provide them a platform for stability and success. We’ve set an ambitious goal of 85% retention in housing at 24 months. We wouldn’t have been able to take on an initiative like this without having laid some extensive ground work through robust coordinated street outreach, which celebrated its first year this past October. Having robust coordinated street outreach is a game changer. Not only are we better informed about who is experiencing unsheltered homelessness, but we also are able to ensure they are prioritized for housing based on their vulnerability and we maintain consistent contact and relationships that allow us to better meet their needs while waiting for a housing opportunity.
2024 promises to be another dynamic year for the Coalition. We fully expect to meet our Next Step Pilot housing goal and then prepare to take these efforts outside this summer to close encampments by housing individuals directly from the streets. This will be possible through continued building of robust partnerships and ensuring that our community is housing focused.
I wake up every day with a singular commitment to this work, and our community that has made dramatic progress in the past couple of years. In Houston they have a decade plus of working together. We’ve just really started and quickly demonstrated success. As we learn from one another, we need to be patient and consistent in our commitment to housing. Our approach to solving homelessness is already changing. The Coalition’s success is the community’s success. Together, we’ve got this.
Best regards,
Meg Zaletel