Rob Seay News Today

Anchorage Assembly members say the texts, which Henning Inc. officials say were taken out of context, raise concerns about its shelter management.

Homelessness is up 60% in Alaska’s largest city, which is offering free one-way tickets to the Lower 48 states

City officials say demand is much higher than expected, and the new numbers mean there could be 400 people or more left out in the cold. 

City officials say demand is much higher than expected, and the new numbers mean there could be 400 people or more left out in the cold. 

Homeless residents, nearby business owners and service providers say that gun violence, assaults, extortion, theft and drug dealing have proliferated, largely unfettered, in the Third Avenue encampment and surrounding streets.

It’s been the subject of local controversies and shifting plans since the city bought it in 2020.

The once-crowded stadium floor at the Sullivan Arena is now empty. Tuesday marked the first day that the shelter will only house the 90 clients that the city has deemed vulnerable.

The closure of the arena to all but 90 of the most vulnerable and disabled clients represents the first time in recent memory that the city has turned homeless residents to the street with no sanctioned shelter or legal camping to receive them.

As hundreds of residents leave the Sullivan Arena homeless shelter, they are seeking refuge in other places around Anchorage, but there is only so much space for them to go.

The Sullivan Arena will shut down on Monday at noon. Residents are packing up as they get ready to say goodbye to a place they’ve called home.