Housing and Homeslessness

Homelessness has long been a serious problem in Anchorage, Alaska. The challenge for two reporters at Alaska Dispatch News was to find new ways to cut through old perceptions and debates to tell stories that showed their subjects’ enduring humanity. Here's how they did it.

With temperatures regularly plummeting below zero during the winter months, Anchorage may be the worst place in the United States to be homeless. KTUU set out to find out how the homeless cope.

Daniel Sopcak and Betty Sanchez are married, homeless and struggling with alcohol and other ailments in Anchorage. Their days are a window into a rough, often invisible world.

Even as much of California’s housing market has begun to recover, foreclosures and vacant homes continue to plague the South Los Angeles community of Watts.

<p>Not many reporters want to write about homeless people – and not many editors want to read about them. The subject is considered too depressing, too intractable. But there are few crises that are more important to cover – right now.</p>