Written by Thomas Pease
Updated: 48 minutes ago Published: 48 minutes ago
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Anchorage Council and City Hall are once again considering setting up summer homeless camps in local parks. This will have a negative impact on both unhoused people and park residents.
First, encampments in parks are not safe for the residents living there. The Centennial Park debacle in the summer of 2022 exposed the risks of moving unhoused residents into parks. Some of them had disabilities. Many people were inadequately prepared for the heavy rains. Floods, bears, theft, physical assault, and inadequate access to basic services put many people at risk.
Unsheltered people are safer in open spaces than in isolated parks, where they are more likely to be exposed to crime. Additionally, if you are sheltering in a visible location, you are more likely to receive timely emergency medical care.
Second, park encampments displace families, children, and sports teams from the parks they rely on. Anchorage residents who live in apartments or subsidized housing rarely have outdoor play areas. For these families, Anchorage's parks serve as their backyard. We've all observed the group picnics, crowded playgrounds, and lively volleyball games that bring the park to life on sunny days. Moving homeless encampments to parks could prevent the poorest families from gathering outdoors.
Finally, having non-incarcerated people in parks impacts park funding. Anchorage's Parks and Recreation budget is not an adequate funding mechanism to pay for the damage caused by homeless encampments, no matter how meager. This includes garbage, human waste, needle collection, landscape restoration, stream cleaning, tree restoration, and more.
For years, Anchorage Park bonds failed at the polls. Recently, our town has grown and the value of our parks has been recognized. Voter sentiment could change again if our parks become waiting areas for people without housing. Additionally, many of our parks benefit from government and nonprofit grants and volunteer workers. If parks are repurposed for unintended uses, these resources may disappear as well.
I applaud Congress' hard work to solve problems caused not only by a housing shortage, but also by inadequate mental health care, addiction treatment, job training, and counseling. Homelessness is a complex issue that will not be solved quickly. Therefore, allowing camping in parks, even temporarily, could establish a precedent. If this happens, the character and use of our park will be permanently changed in the near future.
Please help protect unhoused residents and green spaces. Send a clear message to Congress and City Hall that camps of any size should not be built in parks.
Thomas Pease was born in Anchorage and lives on Government Hill.
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