Commentary: Collaborative Problem Solving with Liquor Stores

This article appears exclusively in the online edition of the Alaska Justice Forum.This article recounts the history of a successful community-based collaborative problem-solving process in the Fairview neighborhood in Anchorage to resolve a seemingly intractable public disorder problem associated with two area liquor stores. The story is an example of the "co-production of public safety" — residents actively working together with police and others to solve neighborhood problems, rather than waiting passively for police or other government officials to find solutions. The author is a member of the leadership of the Fairview Community Council and an academic and researcher with expertise in using community partnerships to address public safety concerns.[Introduction] Angry Residents Demand Closure of Liquor Stores / FVCC Adopts Collaborative Process / Action and Assessment Plan / APD Monitors Liquor Stores / Opposing Liquor License / Co-Production of Public Safet

The Homeless: Who and How Many?

Note: The PDF of this article includes web supplements which did not appear in the original print version of the article.Across the nation in both rural and urban areas, public and private agencies work to provide services for homeless people. One of the biggest challenges is collecting data about homeless individuals: how many people are homeless, who they are, what services they need most, and how long they have been homeless. This article looks at reports from 2012, 2013, and 2014 on estimates of homelessness in the U.S. and Alaska, the subpopulations of homeless individuals, and the various definitions of homelessness.[Introduction] / Definitions of Homelessness / Who Counts the Homeless? / How Data are Reported / How Many People are Homeless? / The Homeless in Prisons and Jails / HUD Counts / Who Are the Homeless? / PIT Counts in Alaska / Project Homeless Connect in Alaska / Homeless Veterans / Homeless Students-K-12 / Homeless Unaccompanied Youth / Homeless Households in Anchorage / Conclusion / SIDEBARS / Definitions of Homelessness / Homelessness References / WEB SUPPLEMENTS / The Homeless: Who and How Many? - Web Supplement (Tables) / Resources on Homelessness — Web SupplementYe

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2009: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey (Mat-Su Survey) is a cooperative research effort between the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough which asked Mat-Su Borough residents to evaluate the quality of Borough services, provide opinions about Borough decision-making, and sum up their perceptions about a range of issues relevant to the present and future of the Mat-Su community. The survey was distributed to 2,733 residents of the Mat-Su Borough in the fall of 2009; a total of 1,406 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 51.6%. The Sourcebook provides results in five major areas: (1) evaluation of current borough services; (2) use of borough facilities; (3) life in Mat-Su neighborhoods; (4) local government access, policies, and practices; and (5) respondent background information.Matanuska-Susitna Borough.Introduction / Executive Summary / SECTION 1: DETAILED BOROUGH-WIDE RESULTS / Evaluation of Current Borough Services / Use of Borough Facilities / Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / Respondent Background Information / SECTION 2: RESULTS FOR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WITHIN THE BOROUGH / Evaluation of Current Borough Services / Use of Borough Facilities / Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / APPENDICES / A. How Averages Were Calculated and How to Interpret Them / B. Questionnair

Northeast Community Survey 2008: Final Report

East Anchorage is currently the only site in Alaska under the nationwide Weed and Seed initiative, which is intended to “weed out” criminals who undermine quality of life for community residents in high-crime neighborhoods and to “seed in” positive practices, programs and institutions that contribute to a better quality of life for neighborhoods. The East Anchorage Weed and Seed site, located in a racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood in the northeast part of Anchorage, had an estimated population in 2005 of more than 37,000 people living in about 14,000 households. On behalf of East Anchorage Weed and Seed, the Justice Center conducted a community survey designed to evaluate Northeast community residents’ level of satisfaction with their neighborhood as a place to live, specifically with regards to residents' feelings about neighborhood safety, neighborhood crime levels, criminal victimization, police activity in the neighborhood, and the availability of social services. This report presents results of the survey, to which a total of 209 respondents in the Northeast community responded, and compares its results to those of an identical mailed community survey conducted in the same area in 2002.Executive Summary / Introduction / Method / The Study Sample / Perceptions of Public Safety / Perceived Problems in the Northeast Community / Criminal Victimization / Neighborhood Satisfaction / Evaluation/Perception of Local Police Activity / Resident Participation in the Northeast Community / Conclusion / Endnotes / Appendix A: Survey Instrumen

Model Programs for the Prevention of Youth Violence

This poster compares levels of youth violence in Anchorage to U.S. levels and identifies effective programs to reduce levels of youth violence, including functional family therapy, multisystemic therapy, nurse-family partnership, multidimensional treatment foster care, bullying prevention program, promoting alternative thinking strategies, and "the incredible years." Estimated program costs are also detailed.UAA Justice Center in partnership with Anchorage Police Departmen

Anchorage Community Survey 2009: Anchorage Police-Related Results

A sample of 2,080 adult residents of the Municipality of Anchorage were included in the final dataset for a survey conducted by the Justice Center in the summer and fall of 2009 — the third in a series of biannual surveys of the Anchorage municipality. This volume presents those results of particular relevance to the Anchorage Police Department on racism, violence, community disorder, fear of crime, satisfaction with police services, police effectiveness, and contact with police. Results are presented in summary form for the entire municipality and also by community council area.Survey Background / Survey Questions / Satisfaction with APD Services / Contact with APD / Recent Experience with APD / Caution Regarding Data Comparison / Table

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2008: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey (Mat-Su Survey) was a cooperative effort on the part of Mat-Su College, the University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough which asked Mat-Su Borough residents to evaluate the quality of Borough services, provide opinions about Borough decision-making, and sum up their perceptions about a range of issues relevant to the present and future of the Mat-Su community. The survey was distributed to 1,993 residents of the Mat-Su Borough in the spring of 2008; a total of 1,045 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 52.4%. The Sourcebook provides results in five major areas: (1) evaluation of current borough services; (2) use of borough facilities; (3) life in Mat-Su neighborhoods; (4) local government access, policies, and practices; and (5) respondent background information.Matanuska-Susitna Borough.Introduction / Executive Summary / DETAILED BOROUGH-WIDE RESULTS / Evaluation of Current Borough Services / Use of Borough Facilities / Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / Respondent Background Information / APPENDICES / A. How Averages Were Calculated and How to Interpret Them / B. Questionnair

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey 2010 and Trends 2006–2010: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey (Mat-Su Survey), conducted annually since 2006, is a cooperative research effort between the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The survey asks Mat-Su Borough residents to evaluate the quality of Borough services, provide opinions about Borough decision-making, and sum up their perceptions about a range of issues relevant to the present and future of the Mat-Su community. The 2010 survey was distributed to 2,088 adult heads-of-household in the Mat-Su Borough in the late summer and fall of 2010; a total of 922 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 45.9%. This sourcebook presents both the results from the 2010 Mat-Su Survey and trends from 2006–2010 in five major areas: (1) evaluation of current borough services; (2) use of borough facilities; (3) life in Mat-Su neighborhoods; (4) local government access, policies, and practices; and (5) respondent background information. Additionally, findings from a derived importance-performance analysis of the survey data are presented, as is a compilation of respondent comments.INTRODUCTION / Organization of Sourcebook / Methods / Executive Summary of Survey Results / PART I. Evaluation of Current Borough Services / PART II. Use of Borough Facilities / PART III. Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / PART IV. Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / PART V. Sample Characteristics / PART VI. Derived Importance-Performance Analysis / PART VII. Respondents’ Comments / Policing and Emergency Services / Traffic, Roads, and Snow Removal / Education / Recreational Facilities and Borough Services / Quality of Life / Taxes, Government, and Services / Development and Growth / Zoning and Land Use / Thoughts about the Mat-Su Survey / APPENDIX. Questionnair

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2012 and Trends 2008–2012: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey (Mat-Su Survey), conducted annually since 2006, is a cooperative research effort between the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The survey asks Mat-Su Borough residents to evaluate the quality of Borough services, provide opinions about Borough decision-making, and sum up their perceptions about a range of issues relevant to the present and future of the Mat-Su community. The 2012 survey was distributed to 1,965 adult heads-of-household in the Mat-Su Borough in the late summer and fall of 2012; a total of 845 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 43.0%. This sourcebook presents both the results from the 2012 Mat-Su Survey and trends from 2008–2012 in five major areas: (1) evaluation of current borough services; (2) use of borough facilities; (3) life in Mat-Su neighborhoods; (4) local government access, policies, and practices; and (5) respondent background information. Additionally, findings from a derived importance-performance analysis of the survey data are presented, as is a compilation of respondent comments.Introduction / Organization of Sourcebook / Methods / Executive Summary / 2012 RESULTS AND 2008–2012 TRENDS / Part I. Evaluation of Current Borough Services / Part II. Use of Borough Facilities / Part III. Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / Part IV. Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / Part V. Sample Characteristics / Part VI. Derived Importance-Performance Analysis / Part VII. Respondents’ Comments / Appendix: Survey Instrumen

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2014 and Trends 2009–2014: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey (Mat-Su Survey), conducted annually since 2006, is a cooperative research effort between the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The survey asks Mat-Su Borough residents to evaluate the quality of Borough services, provide opinions about Borough decision-making, and sum up their perceptions about a range of issues relevant to the present and future of the Mat-Su community. The 2014 survey was distributed to 2,491 adult heads-of-household in the Mat-Su Borough in the winter and spring of 2014; a total of 1,003 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 40.3%. This sourcebook presents both the results from the 2014 Mat-Su Survey and trends from 2009–2014 in five major areas: (1) evaluation of current borough services; (2) use of borough facilities; (3) life in Mat-Su neighborhoods; (4) local government access, policies, and practices; and (5) respondent background information. A set of additional questions focusing on salmon and the environment was added to the 2014 Mat-Su Survey at the request of the Nature Conservancy. Additionally, findings from a derived importance-performance analysis of the survey data are presented, as is a compilation of respondent comments.Matanuska-Susitna BoroughIntroduction / Organization of Sourcebook / Methods / Executive Summary / 2014 RESULTS AND 2009–2014 TRENDS / Part I. Evaluation of Current Borough Services / Part II. Use of Borough Facilities / Part III. Life in Matanuska-Susitna Borough Neighborhoods / Part IV. Local Government: Access, Policies and Practices / Part V. Open Space and Salmon / Part VI. Sample Characteristics / Part VII. Derived Importance-Performance Analysis / Part VIII. Respondents’ Comments / Appendix: Questionnair