Dear Mayor and Assembly
A letter from Executive Director Meg Zaletel
Recently, I joined neighbors to clean up trash along Northern Lights in Midtown. As the snow melted away, it revealed more than just winter’s debris—we saw tents, makeshift shelters, and the undeniable visibility of our city’s homelessness crisis. What had been obscured by cold weather is now, once again, in plain sight.
These are not strangers. They are Anchorage residents — our neighbors — with stories, families, and hopes for something better. Many are employed, yet unable to afford housing in a city with an acute housing shortage and rental costs that far outpace wages.
I want to emphasize what the data — and our experience — clearly show: the most effective, efficient, and economical way to reduce unsheltered homelessness is to provide housing with supports.
Permanent housing with supports costs approximately $20,000 per person per year, less than half the cost of nightly emergency shelter, which averages about $100 per night. And housing yields far better results: 85% of individuals placed into housing with ongoing support remain stably housed, compared to roughly 20% who stay housed after exiting shelter. The contrast is clear: shelter is necessary, but without a direct pathway to housing, it becomes a costly revolving door.
We know what’s coming: as summer approaches, we will again see a rise in encampments — not because more people are choosing to live outside, but because more people are being priced out of housing with no place to go. Shelter can be lifesaving, and abatements may sometimes be necessary, but neither reduces homelessness. In fact, moving people from camp to camp without a housing solution merely recycles trauma and instability — at great cost to both individuals and public systems.
Instead, what works—and what we have already begun to implement in Anchorage — are efficient, effective and economical strategies:
Converting hotels into affordable housing;
Creating clear, direct pathways from encampments into permanent housing with supports; and
Offering short-term shelter that is low-barrier and designed to quickly transition people to housing.
Last year, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, in partnership with local agencies, piloted this model. We housed 177 individuals directly from shelter and encampments into apartments they now lease at a significant reduction in cost to Anchorage taxpayers.* Through that pilot we have gained significant insights to improve housing retention and success should the opportunity arise again. **
Our recommendations for long-term solutions are not intended to delay or replace the urgent response needed now. We believe a focused, coordinated effort is necessary to responsibly decommission the Davis Park and snow dump encampments, which currently has approximately 130-160 individuals. Simply abating the site will only disperse unsheltered individuals across the city, compounding the challenge. Instead, we see a more strategic and compassionate path forward — one that begins immediately and addresses both community concerns and individual needs.
We recommend the MOA issue a prompt request for proposals (RFP) to develop a comprehensive Davis Park Decommissioning Plan. This plan should assess what it will truly take to decommission the encampments—not just relocate it. It should be rooted in person-centered assessments to identify what residents need and want to resolve their homelessness, including barriers to accessing shelter or other services.
Based on a 30-to-60-day planning and assessment period, the Municipality can then move to implementation. Execution will likely require a consistent, near full-time presence over the following 3 to 4 months, coupled with interim services at the site to build trust. Clear expectations for the encampment should also be set during this period to ensure resident engagement and cooperation. This effort may also illuminate what changes are needed in the MOA’s proposed shelters or next winter’s planning to remove barriers for those who cannot access immediate housing solutions.
Crucially, this process must include active participation from the Mountain View community, relevant MOA departments, and experienced service providers. This is an opportunity to show how Anchorage can thoughtfully and collaboratively address a complex issue through shared leadership and person-centered planning.
We are now at a crossroads. We can continue allocating limited public resources to manage the visibility of homelessness—spending heavily on shelter and camp abatements. Or we can invest those same resources in cost-effective strategies3 that reduce homelessness and improve quality of life across our city.
The need is urgent. The tools are available. The choice is ours.
As you consider policies and budget priorities this season, we urge you to support efforts that expand affordable housing, scale up direct housing placements from encampments, and maintain emergency shelter as a bridge — not a destination.
Let’s stop reacting and start reducing. Let’s choose investment over churn. And let’s act now — because the snow may be gone, but the need is not.
Sincerely,
Meg Zaletel
Executive Director
Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness
*12 months of shelter = $36,500 versus 12 months of supported housing = $20,000, a difference of $16,500 per person per year.
**The ideal program is a 24-month rapid rehousing program that covers housing and supports. The cost to do that at scale for those currently unsheltered is approximately $13.5M. In those 24 months, most will not only qualify for a Housing Choice Voucher but should also be able to secure their voucher through the waitlist, which is currently open through April 30th and accepting applications. ACEH along with partners across the system are making a concerted effort to enroll individuals into the program and get them on the waitlist during this limited time opportunity.