A tense Anchorage Assembly meeting this week laid bare ongoing questions about a 2021 ordinance requiring city permits for homeless shelters, a rule originally advanced by liberal Assembly members amid efforts to shut down the faith-based Downtown Hope Center, which refuses to house biological males in its women-only facility.
Assemblyman Daniel Volland requested legal clarification on the ordinance’s enforceability, prompting a visibly angry response from Assembly Chair Chris Constant, who said, “I’ve never been as filled with as much rage as I am now on this body,” before agreeing to give city attorneys, who were caught flat-footed on whether the ordinance has any teeth, more time to review the matter.
Attorneys later advised that even without formal permit approval, shelters could continue operating under provisional status…