Last month, Anchorage conducted a sweep on a large homeless encampment on Fairbanks Street following numerous complaints from local businesses and residents about public health and safety concerns. Despite these issues, no shelter or housing services were provided, leading the encampment to relocate to Midtown along East 33rd Avenue. Unfortunately, the new location has again faced similar complaints from nearby businesses about the encampment’s impact on public health and safety.

“They just moved the problem down the road,” said Laurie Mapes, owner of Alaska Premier Health. Rod Hancock, founder and majority owner of Moose’s Tooth, shared similar disdain, “What’s the bigger solution? Because if it was Lowes’ and Home Depot’s problem before, now it’s Rock Gym’s and Moose’s Tooth’s problem,” he said. “It’s going to be someone else’s problem if you just take the whack-a-mole approach…”

Frankly, I wonder if these local businesses and residents realize that the city is simply responding to their complaints each time a homeless encampment sweep takes place, further exaggerating the problem.

Businesses claim that the encampments are causing a surge in criminal activity, trespassing, and drug use. But do these businesses and residents understand that labeling homeless people as the problem only makes things worse? When homeless people are displaced and criminalized, it makes it even harder for them to get out of homelessness. This means they stay on the streets longer, leading to more complaints from businesses and residents.

The Challenges of Shelter Availability Create the Need for Homeless Encampments

While many cities have emergency shelters, most do not have enough beds for every person who is homeless. The same is true in Anchorage. Homeless people turn to tent encampments or tent cities – a place where homeless people can live together in temporary structures while hopefully creating a community of support.

Local governments and communities respond to encampments differently. While some cities sanction and permit encampments, others task local authorities with carrying out homeless encampment sweeps. This process includes evicting the homeless people within the encampment and tearing it down.

Read the full article about homeless encampment sweeps by Jocelyn Figueroa at Invisible People.