Homeless Camps in Alaska: Anchorage City Plans to Hire Homeless People to Clean up

The city of Anchorage wants to effectively clean up its homeless camps. Local officials are considering hiring its homeless residents. If approved, the city would launch the hiring of homeless people who would be paid to clean up homeless camps throughout the area and maybe even their own.

Along with the homeless camp residents, Alaska WorkSource will also recruit panhandlers and others for the jobs with a $75,000 contract. Eventually, a van will help connect the workers with the day labor sites; and in addition to paying homeless people, part of the funds would also be used to place those persons into substance-abuse and job-training programs. They would only be taxed after they make $600, as per The Huffington Post.

The administration of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has proposed hiring the homeless camp residents and the Anchorage Assembly is expected to discuss the contract on Tuesday night meeting. The meeting agenda includes public hearings on the ban on smoking and using electronic cigarettes, regulations on cellphone tower and electric bikes in Town Square Park.

Due to a lack of resources, Anchorage city's homeless camps needed to be cleaned are piling up. So to speed up the process, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz proposed hiring homeless people to get the job done. Anchorage also has more problems arising at various homeless camps.

Alaska WorkSource is a local nonprofit organization that provides services such as job skills, vocational training, case management and more to the homeless, incarcerated and have addiction issues. The proposal is in line with Anchorage city struggling to provide for its homeless camp residents as its population continues to rise.

Nancy Burke, Anchorage's official homeless coordinator, told Alaska Dispatch News that the nonprofit group would canvass the city and recruit homeless people off of the street in its approval. She said that being part of the community service is the biggest value of the proposal.

She adds that when people are homeless, others don't notice them and becoming non-existent. She also claims the city will provide vests to the homeless workers to indicate they're part of a crew, becoming part of the community again, reports The Washington Times.