Permanent Housing For Worst Street Alcoholics Opens Mid-November

Karluk Manor will put 46 of the city’s chronically homeless inebriates into permanent housing while still allowing them to drink.

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By Lauren Maxwell
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It’s called “housing first” and here in Anchorage, the first test of that concept is getting set to open in Fairview. Karluk Manor will put 46 of the city’s worst street alcoholics into permanent housing while still allowing them to drink.

The first residents are scheduled to move in mid-November.

“Our goal is taking people out of Fairview that are already homeless and living here and putting them in safe and secure housing,” says RurAL CAP homeless coordinator Melinda Freemon.

Freemon says people have no chance of getting well when they are living on the streets.

But forcing them to stop drinking will not be a part of the program. Instead, she says, residents will be offered various services from medical care to case management in an effort to guide them to better health.

The program will be funded primarily by federal Housing and Urban Development dollars but Freemon says it should save the city money.

She says it costs thousands of dollars less to put people in permanent housing than it does to have them strain public services like police and emergency room services, even prison.

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LD said on Wednesday, Oct 26 at 12:26 PM

Interesting how KTVA has not posted any of the comments that were submitted showing support for Karluk Manor, it really shows how subjective the media is.

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sam said on Monday, Oct 24 at 10:07 AM

This is sick sloution , What next the people who smoke , we give them free housing . change the Mayor and his admin.

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Jeff B said on Saturday, Oct 22 at 1:30 PM

So, all the objections to this location were objectively listened to and then completely disregarded. We will now have chronic inebriates living between the two busiest streets on the north entrance to the city. I wonder how many of these people will have to be run over, as they stumble into the street, before the powers that be decide that this was a very bad mistake.

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Anonymous said on Thursday, Oct 20 at 3:04 PM

absoultley freaking stupid!!!!!!! WOW

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rgs said on Thursday, Oct 20 at 11:27 AM

Why is it that there are several programs to help cronic inebriates to be housed, but if you are clean and sober and need help there is nowhere to turn?

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akaj said on Thursday, Oct 20 at 10:53 AM

So when the rest of us lose our homes due to property taxes, no jobs, etc., do we just start drinking and raising hell so that we have somewhere to live? Guessing that is what we should do as soon we will have nowhere to live. Thanks State of Alaska, heading to the liquor store now, start causing trouble soon as it is too cold for us to live on the street either.

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