Homeless should be a priority as winter approaches

Homelessness in the Valley and Anchorage has been a growing concern as our communities have continued to grow and develop. Earlier this spring, local governments put a renewed emphasis on the homeless problem in Wasilla, with officials moving to shut down large homeless camps in the city. This summer, homeless advocates set up a “cardboard city” at the State Fairgrounds in Palmer as a way to draw attention to the plight of those living without permanent shelter.

This month, Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced that city had joined with the state of Alaska to hire a special coordinator for homeless issues. Nancy Burke will work out of Anchorage and be paid by the Alaska Mental Health Trust through a grant.

It’s the first time the trust has funded such a position in the state, and we applaud Anchorage for joining with the trust to create the position. As anyone who spends much time in the city knows, homelessness and chronic drug and alcohol abuse by people living on the streets is a big problem.

We would like to encourage state and local officials here in the Valley to explore the idea of creating a similar position. Although our area doesn’t have problems that are nearly as visible as those in the big city, homelessness remains an issue that isn’t going away any time soon. It would be wise to take a proactive approach at the local government level to get out in front of this issue before it becomes a larger, more difficult problem to solve.

We applaud the efforts of such groups as MY House, Knik House and the recently created Wasilla Homeless Committee, all of whom have made significant contributions to curbing homelessness in our area. These groups are working proactively within our community to fight homelessness and to come up with solutions to this growing problem. Without their efforts, it’s likely more people would be living in makeshift shelters in the woods or skipping from couch to couch – or worse.

As winter approaches, we should all refocus our efforts on helping those who are without a roof over their heads. Although we might not always condone or agree with some of the choices that led to people’s unfortunate situations, we can still have sympathy and compassion for their plight. Many community groups and churches offer free meals, clothes and other services to aid the homeless; please consider giving to these and other causes in order to help ease the burden of those fighting to find adequate shelter this fall.