Anchorage Leaders Say Large Homeless Camps Have Disappeared, But Challenges Remain

City officials claim major encampments are gone, but some advocates say the problem has just been pushed out of sight.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 1:20am

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Anchorage city leaders claim the era of large, sprawling homeless encampments in public spaces has ended, citing aggressive outreach, expanded shelter options, and new legal tools to quickly address camps. However, some advocates argue the problem has merely been dispersed, with people now living in smaller groups or hidden areas. While major camps seem to have disappeared, the underlying homelessness crisis in Anchorage persists.

Why it matters

Anchorage has grappled with highly visible and entrenched homeless encampments in recent years, which have raised concerns about public safety, sanitation, and the city's ability to address the homelessness crisis. The claim that these large camps have been eliminated is significant, but the reality appears more complicated, with questions about whether the problem has simply been pushed out of sight.

The details

City officials, including Mayor Suzanne LaFrance and Assembly Chair Christopher Constant, say aggressive outreach, year-round shelter options, and new legal tools have allowed them to quickly address and dismantle the large homeless camps that had become a fixture in Anchorage. However, some advocates like former homeless coordinator Alexis Johnson argue this is merely "optics" and that hundreds remain unsheltered, living in smaller groups or hidden areas to avoid citations.

  • In November 2023, a large homeless camp was present on a municipal-owned vacant lot adjacent to Cuddy Family Midtown Park.
  • In May 2024, Anchorage Parks and Recreation crews worked to abate an extensive homeless encampment adjacent to Cuddy Family Midtown Park.
  • In May 2023, Anchorage Police officers were present at a large homeless encampment in the woods near Ben Boeke Ice Arena and Sullivan Arena.

The players

Suzanne LaFrance

The mayor of Anchorage who claimed the city has successfully ended the era of dangerous, sprawling tent cities.

Christopher Constant

The Anchorage Assembly Chair who was initially skeptical of the mayor's claim but then drove around the city and confirmed the large, entrenched encampments are gone.

Alexis Johnson

A former Bronson administration homeless coordinator who now works for homeless services provider Henning Inc. and argues the city's claim is "optics" and that hundreds remain unsheltered.

Brian Vaughan

A homeless individual who has lived in the greenbelts of Mountain View for years and is one of the last remaining in a large camp community that was cleared last summer.

Jessica Parks

The interim executive director of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness who says data shows most homeless individuals in Anchorage live in sheltered environments, unlike other West Coast cities.

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What they’re saying

“We have successfully ended the era of dangerous, sprawling tent cities that defined our public spaces for years.”

— Suzanne LaFrance, Mayor

“What we are being sold right now is optics. Hundreds of our neighbors remain unsheltered. Many are living in vehicles, small groups, or wooded areas and moving block to block to avoid citations. When camps are cleared without enough shelter beds or housing available, people don't disappear; they scatter.”

— Alexis Johnson, Homeless services provider

“I just personally can't do it myself.”

— Brian Vaughan

“The mayor said that, and I just was like, no way. No way.”

— Christopher Constant, Anchorage Assembly Chair

“As much as we'd love to applaud and say, 'Hey, this has been great, there's no more homeless camps,' they're out there. We're just pushing the problem, pushing the problem.”

— Shawn Tes, Head of Henning Inc.

What’s next

The city knows that amid snowmelt and spring weather, people will move out of shelter and back outdoors, and officials say they will use new laws and abatement policies to quickly address any new major encampments that form.

The takeaway

While Anchorage has made progress in addressing its visible homelessness crisis by dismantling large, entrenched encampments, the underlying issue of homelessness persists, with people now living in smaller, more dispersed groups. The city's claim of eliminating major camps is complicated, as advocates argue the problem has simply been pushed out of sight rather than comprehensively solved.