We’ve all been heartbroken to see people living in tents and makeshift shelters on the streets, in city parks, wherever there’s a spot in urban woods. In Anchorage, all-too-visible struggles of people experiencing homelessness weighed heavily on our chairman, Ed Rasmuson. Do something, he told Foundation staff.

Diane Kaplan speaks at a press conference in April 2022 detailing progress in solving homelessness. A unified plan has generated $13 million through a public-private partnership to add housing, services and shelter space. (Photo by Matt Waliszek)

So we are doing some things. We’ve long supported developments across Alaska to add affordable housing for working people, seniors, teachers, health aides and more. This time, we were trying to align funding and partners for something far more complex: a solution to homelessness.

Four years after the first concrete steps, significant progress has been made. The Foundation so far has designated more than $6 million for housing, shelters, planning, and demonstration projects. An improved system collects solid data on who is experiencing homelessness. Business leaders and public officials are engaged. Expect to see additional support in the coming year for rural housing serving those who have been homeless.

And we have the tangible result that Chairman Ed wished for. Just days before his death early this year, we let him know a building for the most vulnerable was becoming reality. A deal to purchase the Sockeye Inn in Midtown Anchorage closed March 30. The building on Fireweed Lane will provide 61 rooms for individuals who need a place to rest, recover and address ongoing or unmet medical needs. Some are in wheelchairs. Some are blind. The facility and support services will help individuals move toward permanent housing and gets them out of the Sullivan Arena mass shelter, which was not only crowded but relied on outdoor porta potties for restrooms, even in Alaska winter.