The Ketchikan Borough assembly will discuss a proposal to help fund a warming shelter this winter for the island’s homeless population during their regular meeting Monday night. The proposal is sponsored by assembly members Austin Otos and Jamie Palmer. In a statement, they said that there are currently no options for unhoused members of the community to stay warm this winter.
Their idea is for the First United Methodist Church on Main Street to be used as an overnight warming shelter from November through March. It would be staffed and operated through Park Avenue Temporary Housing (PATH), a local organization that runs a 26-bed emergency housing shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness.
The sponsors said that First City Homeless Services had provided an overnight warming shelter since 2017, after someone who was unhoused and sleeping outside froze to death. First City Homeless Services and their low-barrier shelter closed earlier this year, leaving many of their former clients without options.
Otos and Palmer said that it’s critical that the city and borough come up with a solution before the harshest winter months. They are requesting the Borough put $50,000 towards the program.
Also on the agenda for Monday evening is an initiative to reimburse homeowners for adding additional living spaces in their homes or on their properties.
The Accessory Dwelling Unit grant program is part of the borough’s attempt to create more housing options on the island. The assembly passed reforms in 2022 that allowed for the building of “detached accessory dwelling units,” or small standalone homes and attached additions, on borough residents’ properties. Borough staff have budgeted $200,000 for the potential program this year, and they are recommending the assembly divide that money into 14 individual homeowner grants.
Borough mayor Rodney Dial will start the meeting tonight by acknowledging those in the community who are struggling with drugs and alcohol, in honor of September being National Recovery Month.
Borough Assembly meetings are held at the White Cliff Building the first and third Monday of the month and begin at 5:30 pm.
