I've been in Alaska over 35 years and the homeless problem remains the same.  Every new city administration forms a new of a committee or conducts yet another study on the problem.  They've tried free housing and so on and so on.  Nothing changes and the 'can gets kicked down the road' yet again. 
It's never been tried, but may be it is time the city close Bean's Cafe and the Brother Francis Shelter for a couple of months and see what happens.