Comments from a member of a city commission that contained racial undertones have drawn criticism from Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and members of the Anchorage Assembly.
The controversy began when Anchorage Housing, Homelessness and Neighborhood Development Commission member Jim Crawford began questioning the accuracy of the number of people experiencing homelessness in Anchorage provided by the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness during“If in the event that homelessness is caused by mental deficiency in our Native communities then that should establish the priorities of where to get the money,” Crawford said.
On Friday, Bronson spokesperson Hans Rodvik issued a statement regarding Crawford’s comment during the commission meeting. Crawford previously ran for the Alaska House of Representatives and the Anchorage Assembly after a career in mortgage banking and real estate. He ran for Alaska Senate in 2018 and lost to Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson.
“We’re looking for hardcore homeless,” Crawford said. “And then at least in the back of my mind there is the potential, you know we’ve had mental health before us a couple times and they acknowledged in the last go around that 40% of the homeless problem was mentally disabled people, well that says funding source to me.”the HHAND differs from other city commissions in that it is charged with making recommendations concerning housing and urban development revenue allocation.
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