Anchorage Daily News

Big changes are in store for the Ramada Inn and How How Chinese Restaurant in Muldoon this fall, when the Safe Harbor Inn plans to transform the location into a transitional housing facility for Anchorage's homeless.

The nonprofit says its purchase of the site will nearly double the number of rooms it has to offer in Anchorage, space that is direly needed as its waiting list tops 200 people.

But some neighbors are not equally enthusiastic. Nobody seems to doubt that Safe Harbor is a worthwhile program. They just don't want it operating next door to their homes and businesses, where, they say, it could drive crime up and property values down.

"I like the idea of what they're trying to do, I just don't like where they're doing it," said Edward "Tiny" DeSapio, co-owner of the Cabin Tavern, across the street from the hotel. "They're stressing the homeless families. Well, I guarantee you what's going to be standing around out front and hanging around the neighborhood is not going to be homeless families. It's going to be probably homeless alcoholics."

The roughly $3.6 million purchase of the site, which will make for Safe Harbor's second facility in Anchorage, is scheduled to close Oct. 15. It will increase available rooms run by Safe Harbor from 55 to 105, said Lynne Ballew, Safe Harbor project director.

The nonprofit still needs about a million dollars, but, buoyed by funding from the city, state and private companies and foundations like the Rasmuson Foundation, reaching the goal in time is likely, she said. Most recently, the Anchorage Assembly voted July 15 to direct $450,000 in federal grant money to the project.

"We have been looking for a hotel for three years because our waiting list has been out of control," she said. "We looked at several other places, and we wanted to be somewhere in what's called the renaissance zone."

The Ramada, built in 1997, is smack in the middle of it. It is close to shopping and job opportunities, social services, schools and has good bus service, Ballew said. The building, at Muldoon Road and Peck Avenue, is new enough that it is in excellent shape and will need little work to get it ready in time for a planned November opening.

Neighbors can expect significant changes to the exterior's landscaping, which Ballew hopes to make more aesthetically pleasing. The How How Chinese Restaurant, a long-time Muldoon landmark, will also disappear as a result of the sale. It is slated to be converted into a common area for the hotel's guests, Ballew said.

The Ramada also offers Safe Harbor some built-in features it needs, she said. It has ample storage room for the furniture the nonprofit gives its guests. It has electronic locks and the doors all open to interior hallways, making access restrictions easier. There will be at least three staff living on-site to assist with security as well.

"Safety is our primary concern for our guests because they tend to be the victims of crime, not the perps," Ballew said.

SKEPTICAL NEIGHBORS

Neighbors aren't so sure, though. Jennifer Cozad lives just a few blocks from the hotel and said the area, which has a number of liquor stores and bars, is not the ideal location for such an operation.

"I just bought this house at the end of January, and if I would have known that something like this was going to be coming in here, I probably would have looked elsewhere," Cozad said. "I'm sure it's a wonderful program. I'm not saying that the program isn't a good program. I just don't feel that it belongs in my neighborhood."

She's concerned crime might go up and drive her property value down. Such a facility might attract more panhandlers to the area, and having homeless people loitering at the grocery store, begging on corners or passed out on benches will not help the area, she said.

"I say it in a kidding way, but I tell everybody it's Earl Mayo's way of getting back at us," said DeSapio, who would support the plan if it were in a more discrete location. "He ran for office twice and we never elected him in, so he's saying, 'Screw you, take this.' "

Mayo, co-owner of the Ramada and How How, says he's ready to retire and he is happy to sell the property to be used by a needed program.

"I'm 77 years old, I've had three heart attacks, and the doctor said, 'You better quit this,' " Mayo said. "It should not cause problems with the neighborhood at all. ... We wouldn't sell it to nobody or anything that would deteriorate the neighborhood."

Barbara Dickson, who lives about three blocks away from the site, is planning to tour the current Safe Harbor site at Fourth Avenue and Sitka Street this week to see for herself how it is run. Until recently, she hadn't heard anything about the plans.

"Everybody says not in their backyard, I understand that, but there are some other considerations," Dickson said. " I'm willing to take a look at it, but I think this has been pretty hush-hush."

She said she isn't necessarily against the plans, she just wanted to know more about them and how they might affect property values and crime. Muldoon is already fighting a bad image, and such a project might not help counter it, she said.

Assemblywoman Debbie Ossiander, whose district includes the north end of Muldoon, said the Assembly approved funding for the program July 15 as part of a package when none of the members raised concerns. She hadn't heard any complaints, she said.

"There are very limited options for people who don't have stable income, so it seemed to me that using the federal money in this way was a wise thing to do," Ossiander said. "We've had people living in campgrounds for a lot of the year, living in cars. I think it's pretty positive if we can find a safe, stable place for people to stay while they can get on their feet."

There was a public comment period to determine whether the city should direct the money to the project that ended in May, said municipal Department of Neighborhoods acting director Corrine O'Neill. The city got no written comments and very limited testimony -- all in favor -- during a hearing, she said.

HOMELESS NEED A 'STEP UP'

Safe Harbor guests pay $380 per month for rooms. The money covers things like toilet paper, garbage bags and cleaning supplies, Ballew said. There's no maximum stay because getting housing assistance takes time, and the average is 97 days, she said.

There are about 125 people living in the Fourth Avenue hotel now, about half children. The nonprofit has housed 2,350 guests since it opened in 2001. About 70 percent have gone on to find permanent housing, and fewer than 4 percent have been asked to leave because of disruptions, Ballew said.

One reason for that is that many of the guests are families with children, she said. Last year, for example, 86 percent of guests were families. Another is that the hotel only accepts clients that are referred by other agencies.

"Everybody who's a guest here continues to receive whatever case management services they were already getting," Ballew said. "They continue to get those for the entire length of their stay here to help them get back on their feet."

While Safe Harbor does not offer case management or counseling services, it does have rules including a ban on alcohol, Ballew said. The people there are trying to get back on track, and they would not be referred if they were not committed, Ballew said.

"People who panhandle or who are engaged in criminal activity every day, they don't come to Safe Harbor in the first place," Ballew said. "People here are working hard to get back on their feet. They're not on vacation."

Police have been summoned to the Safe Harbor Inn 18 times during the past year, according to police spokeswoman Anita Shell. It isn't known as a nuisance and, considering the number of tenants, 18 calls for service doesn't seem unusually high, she said. The nature of the calls ranged from child abuse and theft to assaults and a rape, she said.

"I can understand where people would be concerned that you have a lot of transients now coming into your neighborhood," Shell said. "They don't always cause problems. They just need a step up."

Carol Hartman owns Fantasies on Fifth, which is across the street from the current Safe Harbor hotel. She said she hasn't had any problems with the hotel or its guests. She thinks the new facility is needed and will not be a problem for its new neighbors.

Ballew said that's right.

"I can't imagine anybody's property values decreasing because a piece of property nearby is looking better and doing a good thing," Ballew said. "I would not personally be involved in something that I thought was going to make a neighborhood worse. I love this town."

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

Safety at current Safe Harbor

Number of calls for police service to the current Safe Harbor location at Fourth Avenue and Sitka Street from July 1, 2007, to July 24, 2008:

• Assault: 2

• Domestic violence violation: 1

• Undetermined death: 1

• Liquor violation: 1

• Missing adult: 2

• Warrant: 3

• Child neglect: 1

• Child abuse: 3

• Theft: 2

• Disturbance: 1

• Rape: 1

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