Mission

Solutions for a cleaner, safer city; basic amenities and safety for visitors who choose camping while enjoying the greatland experience with compassionate outreach for the homeless.

Vision

Anchorage CHARR is a united financially sound organization committed to protect, foster, and grow the hospitality industry locally, which serves a strong membership and fosters a positive relationship with the Anchorage community.

 

NYC aids homeless with one-way tickets home

New York City, which has struggled with a seemingly intractable problem of homelessness for years, has paid families to leave the city as a way of keeping them out of the expensive shelter system.

ARBRA's on step with NYC has we've accommodated one homeless soul so far with a ticket to Texas awhile ago. Hopefully the city can lend a hand with this cost saving solution........

Ed / Brown Jug

Current projects from a hundred+ Hot Spots-----------

Brown Jug Model Adopted Nationwide


Re-establishing the Anchorage Townsite, Est. 1915

Anchorage Townsite: a structured environment in the form of an outdoor hostel specific to Alaska and its origins.

The idea behind this project is to foster the redevelopment of an overgrown site and the rebirth of forgotten Alaskan history while addressing current hospitality and dwelling needs in Anchorage. The goal is to serve the community by providing safe, legal, and secure shelter, managed by the Ship Creek R.V. Corporation for both visiting guests and for people vulnerable to homelessness within our community.

The program consists of a number of canvas tents and bases made available for a minimal rate per night on a seasonal basis. The camping pods will be equipped with centralized facilities for cooking, laundry, toilet, shower, phone and mail receptacles. Trained security personnel will monitor the fenced campground to ensure occupancy arrangements are met. The temporary residents would agree to keep their dwellings clean and free of drugs, alcohol, and weapons for the duration of their stay at the Anchorage Townsite.

The project would be administered in a series of phases:

The Site: Opportunity for Revival, Renewal, and Rebirth

In the formative years, the property below the bluff at Ship Creek Landing was known temporarily as " Tent City" Alaska. Early in 1915, President Woodrow Wilson sanctioned funding for the development of the Alaska Railroad, which encouraged an influx of laborers, entrepreneurs, and subsequently, "a stampede town of tents." In the summer of 1915, the Anchorage Townsite Land Auction was held and the residents of Tent City established their permanent homesteads.

The proposed site is recorded with the municipality of Anchorage as four separate parcels. Two of which are owned by MOA, another by ML&P and the last by the Alaska Railroad. At present, a good portion of these lots have been left to overgrowth and temporary, illegal dwellings.

The parcels are accessed from the south at the corner of Ingra and West 3rd. A worn footpath running parallel to Ingra Street acts as the eastern boundary. To the west, the site can be accessed from downtown Anchorage at Eagle St. There are a series of trails leading to a number of campsites tucked into berm and swale-some in use, others have been abandoned. It was once a fitness trail system built and maintained with the original Native Hospital built and maintained since the hospital moved from City Block 35. The approximate elevation gain across the site, from the landing to the bluff, is forty feet. The Ship Creek Landing R.V. Park acts as the northern boundary and to the south, a chain link fence separates the adjacent construction staging area from the wooded trails. The establishment of a new Anchorage Townsite will provide opportunity to revive this discarded site.

Anchorage's Guests

Every year, from late April through early September, Anchorage welcomes a large guest population to the city. Our visitors seek "The Last Frontier," big mountains, big fish, fast water and untouched wildlife. A large portion of the guests are looking for affordable, non-traditional accommodations close to our culture-rich downtown hub that provides a multitude of tourist activities and events.

With cooperation and management provided by Ship Creek R.V. Corporation, the Anchorage Townsite will provide guests with a base and network in which to organize and plan their Alaskan adventures. Fellow travelers will have the opportunity to share a meal and a story amidst the trees, the sky, and the Alaskan Summer. Canvas tents will be provided for all guests. The tents vary in size from 7'x9' to 8'x10' high and will house one or two small cots. Each is equipped with a window, a sod cloth, a mosquito net, a zip door, rain fly and plywood platform foundation.

In Transition - A community in Need, Who are they?

Anchorage's transient population includes nearly 3500 Alaskans on any given night. They are a diverse group ranging from families with children to former military soldiers. Many of these seek shelter within the greenbelts along Anchorage's public trails system. It is estimated that one third of our city's current campers desire the security, economic responsibility, and physical amenities that will be provided with the planned campsite. Statistically speaking the percentages of the homeless population in Anchorage are separated into sub-groups and are identified as follows:

There are currently thousands of people in need of publicly financed housing opportunities. Unfortunately such resources are not available at this time. Anchorage's homeless neighbors will continue to live sheltered by the trees, until displaced by law officials and development projects, or worse, by the various dangers inherent in such environments.

Thankfully, Anchorage is a community willing to volunteer time and brainstorming power to build a plan that addresses these concerns. Efforts have been made by the Municipality of Anchorage to compile a time line of actions to be put in place within a ten-year period. The hope is to alleviate the pangs felt by our transitional community. Them main focus is to provide placement for the homeless in permanent housing within three months of registering with a local support service. This begs a serious question, why not make the new Anchorage Townsite a reality now?