Josh Engle was bundled up on one of the first frigid days in October, walking along a forest path to do outreach in a homeless encampment in Anchorage. He approached a man in a weathered coat near several tents and a makeshift structure.

“How long you been out here on the streets?” Engle asked.

“Too long,” the man said.

“You connected with any resources?” Engle asked. The man described the tarp and blankets he’d been able to get.

Engle, a manager and peer support specialist at True North Recovery in Wasilla, hoped to guide people into recovery, if they showed interest. It’s a path Engle knows well because he’s in long-term recovery himself, so he understands how fleeting the window of opportunity can be when someone decides to seek treatment.

Engle supports people in ways that go well

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