'We're gonna be out on the streets': Anchorage readies for a homeless crisis

The mayor of Anchorage declared a civil emergency Wednesday over concerns that the state’s fiscal crisis will cause hundreds of residents to lose access to basic shelter. If Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget vetoes stand, the next 30 to 90 days will determine whether hundreds more people have to move out of housing. That’s left some families in Anchorage worried they could soon be living on the streets.

Arianne Swihart and Galen Huntsman live in a single room with their two young boys, Azriel, 4, and Tobie, nearly 3, along with Aurura, their two-month-old daughter.

“We now have a family of five living in essentially a hotel room,” Arianne said on a recent morning.

They’re staying at a facility called Safe Harbor on the east side of Anchorage. It’s temporary, families generally live there for up to six months as they try to transition out of homelessness into into more stable permanent housing. Both parents say this is a big improvement. Prior to moving in here in April, the family was in crisis. There were problems with jobs, with the Office of Child Services, and medical care. At one point in the saga, Swihart was several months pregnant with nowhere to go, staying in an overnight shelter.

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/07/26/were-gonna-be-out-on-the-streets-anchorage-readies-for-a-homeless-crisis/