Anchorage’s downtown streets told a grim story Tuesday night as temperatures hovered near zero and at least a dozen people lay on the frozen ground, wrapped in blankets, tarps, and whatever scraps of cardboard insulation they could gather. There were likely many more hidden in alleys and behind trash receptacles that we did not see.
Around 10:30 pm, before the mercury fell even further, The Alaska Story did another tour of the several we have done: Bodies were visible in doorways, against building walls, and even beside the monument proclaiming Anchorage an “All American City.” That distinction, once tied to civic pride and community strength, looked starkly out of place against the suffering at its base.
The photos captured a reality that city leaders are not acknowledging in full. These were not people seeking temporary shelter from a passing chill; many appeared to be deeply vulnerable, grappling with addiction, severe mental illness, physical disabilities, and in some cases confined to wheelchairs.
Several appeared to be longtime Alaskans accustomed to harsh weather, yet clearly pushed to their limits. The cold spell that has settled over Southcentral is expected to continue, and survival on the streets is already a matter of hour-by-hour endurance.
There were no community patrol vans circulating, no visible outreach teams checking on those curled against concrete steps. For years, Anchorage has cycled through plans, debates, and political fights over how to manage its growing street population. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has spoken often about long-term solutions such as building micro-housing units and launching her 10-year, 10,000-home initiative. But long-term plans provide no immediate refuge for those lying exposed on subzero pavement this week. Anchorage residents would not treat dogs this way.
Emergency shelter capacity remains limited, but there are options, such as shuttered schools or vacant buildings. Yet and the city has not announced any urgent cold-weather expansion despite the polar vortex gripping the region. Residents passing through downtown Tuesday night expressed confusion about who, if anyone, was responsible for locating and transporting vulnerable individuals to warmth. The absence of patrols leaves us wondering whether the municipality is tracking exposure cases or outdoor deaths at all. If there have been fatalities in recent nights, the public has not been informed.
In 2022, there were 25 homeless deaths outdoors, and in 2023, it reached an all-time high of 51-52, with another 50 people dying out of doors in 2024. Yet this year we are not being told what the body count is.
The contrast with the neighboring Mat-Su Valley is striking. While homelessness exists there as well, observers noted almost no individuals sleeping outdoors this week, even with similar temperatures. The visible concentration in Anchorage points to a city system strained beyond its capacity and city leadership unwilling to mobilize even in life-threatening conditions.
Anchorage’s humanitarian crisis is no longer theoretical. It is unfolding in doorways and alleys, in plain view of downtown workers and visitors, and now documented in photos that show just how close many are to dying in the cold.
With another wave of bitter weather setting in, the situation demands immediate action — warming centers, patrols, emergency transport, and a coordinated response equal to the risk.
Until that happens, the monument heralding Anchorage as an All American City stands as a silent contradiction, surrounded not by civic triumph but by the desperate struggle of residents trying to survive the night.
12 thoughts on “Photo gallery: Anchorage treats its most desperate humans worse than dogs this winter”
I expect the problem will not be solved by a lot of spending on emergency patrols. So many of these people have no interest in following basic rules in shelters, nor do they want out of their addiction status. For the truly mentally ill, of course this is a tragedy brought on by the impossible regulations that kick everyone out of the state hospital after the insurance money runs out, and for that population a real solution needs to be found. But the addicts are there mostly by choice, and unless they have an interest in kicking the habit, there is no helping them. So, do we spend a fortune on emergency patrols that round up everyone whenever it gets cold outside, do we spend money on establishing metal institutions and have them all committed, or do we simply enforce the old laws that prohibit drunkenness in public and lock them all in jail? Regardless of the choice, these people remain a burden on society that won’t end until they are forced to improve themselves and become productive members of society.
Tamra in principle I agree that many of these individuals make choices. However there is a difference between tackling long term solutions and addressing immediate need. Considering how much we spent each year on the homeless programs, one could at least expect the most basic and decent thing to provide a warm-up location and a means to transport people there. Didn’t they refurbish the former waste collection location to be a shelter? What happened to the community patrol?
The least we should do is get people out of the cold, even for a few hours. Where are all those non-profits or the coalition to perpetuate….ahem sorry…. END homelessness? Where are all the millions of dollars going, if we can’t even offer the most minimal, humanitarian service, when temperatures are extreme?
There is always an immediate need, and it gets bigger every time we subsidize it.
If you build it, they will come. And overwhelm it
You misunderstand, we as a city need to return to law & order and enforce the rules on the books, so that homelessness is truly rare. The laissez-faire attitude we have seen over the years to allow the homeless to do as they please without consequence, while putting them up in hotel rooms or building them tiny houses (why do taxpayers owe anyone a home of any sort??) etc, has to stop. Return charity work back to the churches and community organizations, who need to raise funds through PRIVATE donations not government largess. Turn of that revolving door of funding and I bet the numbers of homeless will decrease. Put the money in law enforcement and social work and encourage individuals to make good choices while making it plain that we do not tolerate inebriate/criminal behavior in our streets. I am not advocating for another program, I am simply asking to not stand by while another human being freezes to death and considering we spent millions, one should have the expectation that a modicum of assistance we already pay for is geared towards TEMPORARY/SHORT-Term intervention of a few hours warming up in a designated location.
Why should TAXPAYERS be burdened with the expense and effort to help those who … Don’t want the help, Don’t want to kick their habits, Don’t want to conform to the norms – expectations of a civic society, Don’t want to expend the necessary ‘personal’ discipline and effort to help themselves?
If they don’t want the help, why should TAXPAYERS even care. Let mother nature flush them out.
Bingo!
If I recall, Brother Francis, Anchorage churches, Anchorage Rescue Mission and other 501c3 orgs used to house & feed these pitiful creatures. It seems the Muni has undone them. Are they still receiving a tax exemption?
The proper response to the human person is love. And the opposite of love is not hate, it is use.
-paraphrased from JohnPaul II, Love and Responsibility
The reasons for many of those still on the streets range between: they have alcohol on their breaths and are denied admission into a shelter, or there no space, or they being outside is quieter even safer than staying up all night worried someone is going to steal from you, or they are trying to find themselves and peace and are much more prepared to sleep through the cold despite an appearance
The only thing us local residents can do is pray and keep Handwarmers/FootWarmers when God tells one give to them or anything else HE wants us to share
Unless for specific persons God tells one open your home to them which can be rare. It’s only happen twice for me I opened my home to two hobo women. Opening one’s home to a hobo I warn is not for the ungodly and weak because of you have to have discernment when the Christ is talking and your own voice.
Apart from that YOU can spend 9.00 from each paycheck on hand warmers from Lowe’s just to keep it on you if you see someone who definitely needs a little warmth but also I wish there were more Christians in Anchorage because good works like just handing out hand warmers without Christ, if not without telling the gospel means nothing and that’s what Anchora needs most of all from the hobo on the street to the well dressed hobo in the legislature.
We can’t be everywhere for everyone in need. But, we can extend hospitality and service to those God practically placed visible from the windows of our homes. In the Bible we don’t want to be like the Rich man who ignored Lazarus who was visible from the rich man’s house.
We may not be called to bring someone into our homes. But there are non alcoholic actions we can give to make the bitter cold feel less cold to those outside.
This is just one example how Christians distinguish themselves from the institutional church; They do what the Rich man SHOULD had done while Lazarus was visible from the house. The Bible doesn’t say that Lazarus was a beggar and begging loudly at the Rich man. It just says he sat outside the rich man’s house and the Rich man ignored him or tried to..
I think he wasn’t a beggar I think he was not even a drunk. I think he just had no other place to go and the rich man could had brought him into his household, clothed him, fed him, and even made him an employee and paid him a wage.
I’m not saying that we should all bring hobos into the house unless God put a burden on the heart to do so and you know that the assignment is from God! I know that He’d not ask a woman to open her home a man to come in nor a man to open his home to a woman because of the danger.
There are ways we can help that hobo who is visible from our home’s windows like giving things like HotHands or hot coffee or hot cocoa. So we don’t repeat the same mistake the rich man made stepping around and over Lazarus.
Story Reference Luke 16:19-31. It’s a story for Christ’s Church a radical lesson of love.