OPINION: Anchorage has the latitude it needs to address its homelessness problem

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Grant’s Pass case, which restored the ability of cities to enforce laws to keep their public spaces safe, is not a license or invitation to attempt to arrest our way out of the homelessness crisis. Jail cells are no more the answer to homelessness than free hotel rooms. The Grant’s Pass decision instead restores to cities the right to decide for themselves what behaviors will be tolerated in their parks and on their streets and, just as importantly, use every tool to encourage people to get any treatment or help they might need. This is a new opportunity for Anchorage to return our public spaces to their intended uses and provide our most vulnerable neighbors the means to live their best lives. We can do both.

Homelessness is not a crime. Justice Neil Gorsuch, in writing the opinion of the majority, went to great pains to emphasize that the status of being unhoused should not and cannot be criminalized. Rather behaviors, particularly those which harm the public at large, can be crimes. Nor does homelessness confer a special status that somehow makes committing crimes permissible. Both the housed and unhoused should be equally accountable if their behavior harms their neighbor.

Today the majority of unhoused persons, whether they be in Anchorage or Seattle, decline offers of shelter or treatment. The reasons for declining are as diverse as the people experiencing homelessness, but without treatment for alcoholism, drug abuse or mental illness, too many of our unhoused neighbors cannot make progress towards being their best selves. In 2019, California Policy Lab conducted the largest survey of people across the country experiencing unsheltered homelessness and found that 78% self-reported experiencing mental illnesses and 75% reported experiencing substance use challenges, with many reporting both. We know that mental illness and substance misuse can be significant barriers to accepting the help that is offered.

Lastly, we also know that without incentives, these barriers can prevent change. The city of Grants Pass, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, saw demand for treatment and shelter services decrease 40% after the courts prevented them from enforcing their laws, a step backward reported in multiple other communities. Accountability can be the encouragement a person needs to make a difference.

Without the legal handcuffs, we are free to find an Alaska solution that balances caring for those in need and responding to the concerns of residents, business owners and the general public. We as a community love our neighbors best when we not only offer a helping hand but also hold each other accountable for when our behavior harms others. We can and should have both compassion and responsibility.

Former mayor Dave Bronson estimated that Anchorage has spent around $161 million on homelessness since 2020, equating to roughly $100,000 per unhoused person. The results are self-evident. Now is the time to restart conversations on what governments do well and not so well, how community-based and privately funded groups can fill the gaps, and how Anchorage can develop its own balanced model that provides care, safety and accountability. Thoughtful incentives can bridge the gap between good intentions and great impacts.

John Morris formerly served as homelessness coordinator for the Municipality of Anchorage.

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