For the past two years, one of the most persistent and hotly contested questions in Anchorage has been what to do about the number of unlawful homeless encampments cropping up in public spaces. Local officials have been bombarded by disgruntled community groups calling for a solution and in December 2017, the Anchorage Assembly passed an ordinance that promised to help the community “gain control of our spaces.”
Under the ordinance, residents of illegal homeless encampments have 10 days after receiving an official citation to vacate the premises. But what was promised as a timely solution, has proven to be an ill-fitting Band-Aid affixed to a disproportionately large problem.
“I think of it as swatting flies while leaving the door wide open,” explains Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness Executive Director Brian Wilson.
According to Wilson, slapping the homeless with citations is the first step in a cycle of crime, recidivism and homelessness. His sentiments are echoed on a national scale by organizations like the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC). In 2013, the NHCHC released a quarterly research review indicating that nationally, 25 to 50 percent of the homeless population has a history of incarceration. Additionally, a history of homelessness is 11 times more prevalent among inmates than the general population.
Facing stigmatization, policies barring them from most federal housing assistance programs and challenges finding employment due to criminal records, previously incarcerated individuals often find themselves in temporary shelters or homeless. Once homeless, basic necessities can force them to engage in criminal activities to get by and the cycle of re-arrest, incarceration and homelessness continues.
To read the full article written by O'Hara Shipe, click HERE
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