Bargain tourism at it’s finest! The things people will do for free coffee and snacks. Some cruise ship passenger don’t mind dropping by a local homeless shelter and hanging out for a while.
The homeless shelter In Ketchikan, Alaska seems to be popular with cruise ship tourists. The staff at the shelter said, they’ll ask to use the bathroom, but end up staying for coffee and snacks. It doesn’t end there, the non-profit that operates the shelter stated that few passengers actually make donations. So much for calling homeless people freeloaders!
First City Homeless Shelter doesn’t seem to thrilled about the cruise passengers willing to receive rather than give. Seeing that the nonprofit is funded by donations and funding from the city. They shelter said their not willing to turn anyone away because it’s against the shelters policy. Evelyn Erbele, chair woman of Fist City Homeless Shelter stated to Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly.
Evelyn Erbele Chair Woman of First City Homeless Shelter:
“If we have a snack, they’ll take the snack and they’ll sit there and watch TV,” Erbele said. “It’s called ‘audacity,’ isn’t it?”
The City of Ketchikan received 38 ships last year, bringing 944,500 passengers to a town 8,200. The shelter saw over 365 visitors that year, sill the shelter is in a situation were it needs to ask for more funding from the city. Alaska has been at the fore front of interesting cruise industry news; cruise hive previously reported of misused funds in Juneau Alaska.
