As Alaska prepares for the upcoming frigid weather, the mayor of Anchorage has one idea of how to keep unhoused people off the streets.
Mayor Dave Bronson said during a press conference that he wants to send those without shelter to Los Angeles and other warm cities.
He told the Anchorage Daily News that he wants to prevent the city from hitting another record of people dying on the streets.
“We set a record this last year on how many people died unsheltered in the city. If something doesn’t happen, we’re going to beat that record this next winter,” he said. “And so, with that moral impetus for me, we’re going to start giving airline tickets for people to go where they want to go.”
He claimed it is cheaper to fly them to a warmer area.
“I think a ticket this morning to Los Angeles is 286 bucks, it cost us $100 plus or minus a few dollars every day to house someone, and we don’t have a place to put them in a large shelter this winter,” he said. “And remember, the objective, and it’s sad that we had to get to this, but we’re here to save lives, that’s my job.”
Anchorage has struggled to address the city’s homeless crisis. In June, city leaders asked for $20 million for a shelter, but their request was rejected.
A survey by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found that homelessness in the city of Los Angeles increased by 10%, while the county saw a 9% increase.
Mayor Bass said that while the data “represents the crisis our city faces,” it was also conducted while Bass’ Inside Safe Initiative Safe was in its infancy.
As of June, Inside Safe has moved over 1,300 unhoused individuals into interim housing.
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