Another round of move-ins on the books!

Fourteen people from an encampment just off the Coastal Trail near Elderberry Park now have a home. This is the second encampment in which everyone was housed through the Next Step project. We worked closely Anchorage police and Parks and Rec on timing to ensure everyone had a home before the Municipality shut down the camp.

A woman who camped there for the last year and a half felt anxious about the move. But as she walked into her new apartment, her face lit up. She now sees herself on a path to "being on the other side," no longer a person being helped, but one of the helpers. A man with at least nine years of homelessness couldn't believe someone was willing to take a chance on him. A young man said he was ready, too — he had hit rock bottom too many times.

Each story is different but for each, the safety and security of a home provide the right environment to keep moving forward long past move-in day.

Some of those living outdoors find it hard to remember the last time they lived in a good place.

Some have never had a place of their own.

All told, 177 of our Anchorage neighbors have been housed through Next Step. This includes 150 who came from shelters and 27 from two encampments.