About OP: NightLight

Our MIssion

To use funds designated for the real economic and social needs of Native Alaskans by the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide a safe, secure location for Alaskan Native homeless shareholders people, and to provide ongoing awareness and advocacy for Alaskan Native needs.

Our People

Our founder, Wesley, was born and raised in Alaska, raised in an alcoholic home and experiencing many of the common problems Homeless people face. In adulthood as well, he experienced homlessness, alcoholism, and came face-to face with the harsh realities of life without basic support. After recovering from addiction in 2000, achieving a B.A. in psychology, earning a 1-year certificate in Diesel technology, and successfully raising two children in Fairbanks, he has decided to use his experience to help his community. In 2012, Wesley served as Vice-President on the Doyon Foundation board (DoyonFoundation.com) and successfully created the first Doyon Foundation language revitalization program currently documenting and preserving ten Athabascan languages, which gave him insight into the corporate structure of these giants of Native society. He now seeks to repeat that process with his new project, Operation: NightLight. Putting together a lifetime of hard-earned knowledge of the problems Alaskan Native Homeless people face, and his understanding of the responsibility Alaska Native Corporations have to their shareholders, Wesley is creating a movement to provide basic warmth and security to every Native Alaskan, and provide an example to other states and nations looking to make a change for the better.

Why We Are Here

In an article by the Anchorage Daily News on October 5, 2021, Michelle Therlault Boots wrote that “All told, at least 74 people have died in what police call ‘outdoor deaths’ since the beginning of 2017.” While this number may seem small compared to large events in the news, 74 people is about the size of an average Alaskan Native village. Imagine a whole village dying simply from exposure.

The cause of this is extremely complex and has to do with many different factors in our modern society, but one major issue leading to untimely deaths is a gap in services for the homeless. Many businesses and public services close their doors from the hours of midnight to 6 am, and it is during those times that it is often most difficult to find a place to keep warm. It is also these times every night when it is most dangerous for vulnerable demographics like women, youth and the elderly. Security and safety is hard to come by when you have no locking door.

Local shelters have done an excellent job towards filling this need, but a large facility with room and board can be difficult and expensive to maintain, fill capacity quickly, and may not always be what an individual needs.

The Solution

Enter Operation: NightLight. Our goals begin with a simple concept: create a place for Alaskan Native people to be free from the cold weather, judgment, violence. To accomplish this, we are working toward building a weather shelter for temporary, overnight use by those needing shelter during those times. Because of the dangers of exposure and violence during the night, we have targeted our service to be open during the hours of 12am-6am every night, and provide a basic level of security.
Operation: NightLight believes ALL Alaska Native Corporations (ANC’s), created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) 1971, have the fiduciary duty to provide for the “real economic and social needs of natives” as stated ANCSA; and we believe homeless Native Corporation Shareholders on the streets in subzero temperatures is a ‘real economic and social need’.

Operation: NightLight will demonstrate due diligence and provide weekly research articles, video interviews, or other journalistic evidence using our website, social media and blog to build the case for All Alaska Native Corporations to begin substantial investment, and get all homeless Alaska Native Shareholders off the streets, thus, stopping the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic in Alaska.

Our Facility

The shelter consists of a simple large wall-tent, of the same variety tested and used in harsh conditions by oil companies on the north slope, and is heated by a safe and well-maintained heater.

A mobile trailer nearby houses the main office. Security within the tent consists of basic security cameras, and privately hired security that has been trained in skillfully managing and de-escalating violent situations.

In addition, while we wish to welcome all, we are aware that vulnerable people need to feel safe, so a basic and instantaneous background check is run at the door before each individual is permitted to enter.

We are extremely sensitive to the needs of the people who use our services, and work hard to provide accountability in our journey towards giving everyone a safe place to be.

Along with security, both male and female volunteers are present every night to answer questions, direct people towards resources, and help with non-violent issues that may arise.