Alaska mayor suggests homeless people fly to Los Angeles to escape winter cold

Homelessness is a chronic problem in Anchorage. Photo: Getty

The mayor of Alaska offered to bring the homeless to Los Angeles and other cities in the temperate part of the United States.

‌ Republican Republican Dave Bronson said that relocating the homeless from Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, would not only save money, but will also benefit those living on the streets during the state's harsh winters.

‌During the height of winter, temperatures can drop below -17.7 C (0F) at night.

Last winter, at least 24 people died while sleeping in Anchorage. Bodies have been found in parks, behind office buildings, and along one of the state's busiest roads.

‌»Last year was the deadliest year in history for homeless people dying on the streets…in winter, we're considering even doubling that amount.» .

‌»I have a moral duty here to save lives — and if that means giving them a few hundred dollars for an airline ticket to get to where they want to go, then I'll do it,» Mr. -Mr Bronson.

Dave Bronson said the state would also pay to send people home for care. Photo: AP/Loren Holmes

, He added: “When people come to us and want to go somewhere warm or they want to go to some city where they have family or friends who can take care of them, if they decide to go there, we will support it.”

‌Providing housing costs the city $100 per person per day, which is about a third of the cost of a one-way ticket to Los Angeles last week.< /p>

‌How the project will be funded is not yet clear.

< p>‌Last year, 11 people were resettled in the «bottom 48» states as part of a program run in collaboration with the Salvation Army.

Campground for the homeless in Anchorage, July 26. Photo: AP

‌During the pandemic, the 6,000-capacity sports arena was turned into a mass shelter, but it has since become an entertainment center again.

A plan to move the homeless from Anchorage to Los Angeles was rejected by the mayor of Los Angeles Angeles for Democrat Karen Bass.

«Republicans want to tell the false story that Democrat-run cities are falling apart,» the mayor said. her press secretary, Zack Seidl.

‌“But really, these ridiculous tricks just show the difference between leaders who face crises by rolling up their sleeves to solve problems, and leaders who face crises by flipping to change the problem. .”