Man dies at Housing First

A man died at Housing First on Monday afternoon, according to the Juneau Police Department.

Frank White, Jr., 56, was found deceased in his room at Housing First on Monday afternoon, JPD Lt. Krag Campbell said Tuesday. The cause of death is not known, Campbell said, but it does not appear to be suspicious.

Campbell said he wasn’t sure whether this was the first death at Housing First to which the department has responded.

Housing First is a supportive housing facility located in Lemon Creek that provides a place for Juneau’s most vulnerable residents to stay. It opened its doors this past fall, and according to a study done by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has cut down dramatically on police calls, fire department calls and hospital usage for the 32 tenants in the facility.

According to numbers provided by a UAF investigative team, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Rainforest Recovery Center went from 344 visits during the six months before tenants moved into Housing First, to just two visits from those tenants in the six months afterward.

[New data shows Housing First program helping Juneau’s homeless]

Campbell said that although White was cited and released for concealment of merchandise last week, White served as an example of someone who seemed to benefit from Housing First’s services.

“Mr. White is someone that JPD has had several contacts with over the years,” Campbell said via email. “Since he went to live at Housing First, it’s my understanding that JPD’s contacts with him have diminished quite a bit.”

Mariya Lovishchuk, the executive director of the Glory Hole homeless shelter which helps staff Housing First, said in a statement that like any housing facility — especially one that houses the most vulnerable people in the community — it’s not unexpected that somebody could die on the premises.

“(The Juneau Housing First Collaborative) has in place comprehensive protocols to protect the health and safety of all individuals that includes routine room checks,” Lovishchuk said in the statement. “We also believe in dignity and privacy and in people’s right to not be a statistic.”


• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Christopher Moore helps another Juneau homeless resident wheel her belongings from a makeshift campsite on private property near the airport on July 15. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
‘Dispersed camping’ worked better overall than homeless campground, Assembly members told

Scattered camping sites in Juneau less troublesome than fixed site last year, deputy city manager says.

Lemon Creek voters enter the Alaska Electric Light Power building as polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau voters keep turning out in large numbers as Election Day arrives

“It’s bigger than I’ve ever seen here before,” longtime precinct chair at one voting location says.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

A long line of voters waits Monday at an early voting station at the Mendenhall Mall annex. Voting locations around Juneau will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Election Day in Alaska: When to expect results, and what to look for

First results should be posted online about 9:15 p.m., based on prior schedules.

Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Monday, the day before Election Day. City hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city; however, it is not an Election Day polling site. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
How to vote in Alaska: Options abound, but the deadline is almost here

In-person, mail, electronic and fax voting still possible on Election Day.

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, appears on stage with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., center, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on Nov. 4, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
‘Election Day is not results day’: Get ready for a wait to find out who’s president

Some Alaska results may not be known until 15 days after Election Day.

A voter talks to election officials at a early voting station at the State Office Building on Monday. Alaskans, like the rest of the U.S., are casting early ballots at a record pace ahead of Tuesday’s election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
In longshot scenario of Electoral College tie, winner of Alaska’s House race may pick the next president

By-state vote in House means Peltola or Begich could determine winner; Murkowski’s vote could pick VP.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Most Read