Anchorage shelter contract extended as leaked text investigation stews

Anchorage’s former Solid Waste Services administration building, pictured here on Sept. 20, 2023, is located on 56th Avenue. The city has been contracting the nonprofit Henning Inc. to operate a low-barrier homeless shelter out of the building since November of 2023.

The Anchorage nonprofit under scrutiny for its managers’ unprofessional text messages was awarded a $1,033,600 contract extension on Friday. 

With some reluctance, the Anchorage Assembly approved the award to Henning Inc. in a 9-1 vote. The extension will keep the city’s 200-bed homeless shelter on 56th Avenue running through mid-October. 

Assembly member Karen Bronga was the no vote. 

“We had a big to-do about text messages that were shared at a meeting,” she said. “There was going to be an investigation. And nothing’s been done and we’re extending the contract to Oct. 15. That doesn’t feel right.”

In May, Anchorage Assembly Chair Chris Constant shared screenshots he obtained of select texts from a group thread among Henning managers and Alexis Johnson, who was former Mayor Dave Bronson’s homelessness coordinator at the time. The texts were unflattering and had an unprofessional tone, but the context wasn’t clear. 

Anchorage’s homelessness coordinator Alexis Johnson speaks at a press conference on July 25, 2023, as then-Mayor Dave Bronson listens. (Dev Hardikar/Alaska Public Media)

As a result, the Assembly asked the city’s health department, which oversees shelter contracts, to investigate the matter and report back. 

Constant said he’s seen a draft of the investigation report and has been in discussion with city lawyers about next steps. He said because of personnel matters and its inconclusive nature, the draft report won’t be public, and the Assembly will have to discuss it in closed session. On Monday, he said a final version of the report will be published.

“We’ve been in discussions about, what is the goal? And it’s tricky,” Constant said. “I have emails for several days that have been trying to get to the point where this thing is moving forward again.” 

Chief Administrative Officer Bill Falsey told the Assembly that extending the contract would maintain uninterrupted service at the shelter, while buying time to run through a more robust contracting process.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly paraphrased Chris Constant saying the final investigation report would not be public. Constant says the final version will be public, but the draft version will not.

Jeremy Hsieh covers Anchorage with an emphasis on housing, homelessness, infrastructure and development. Reach him atjhsieh@alaskapublic.orgor 907-550-8428. Read more about Jeremyhere.

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