Western Exposure

Anchorage cracks down on homeless camps

By July 8, 2009March 19th, 2015No Comments

Time is up for homeless camps in Anchorage, the AP reports in the Anchorage Daily News. The Anchorage Assembly passed a law Tuesday night making camping on public lands illegal and allowing police to break up camps 12 hours after posting notices, rather than the previous 24-hour notice period. While city officials say the camps attract crime and wild animals and raise fire danger due to unlawful burning, some worry the new law will hurt homeless people who don’t cause problems but can’t find room at shelters. With no clear estimate of how many homeless camps exist in Anchorage, it will be interesting to see where all these people go.

— Emily Linroth, InvestigateWest intern

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