Anchorage set to close seasonal shelters, plans to open new ones
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The city plans to close three emergency winter shelter sites in Anchorage by the end of April and according to the city’s shelter occupancy dashboard, more than 300 people are currently staying in the non-congregate shelters, which are mostly hotel rooms.
In addition, the city’s year-round congregate shelter in midtown is set to permanently close at the end of October when its lease is up, raising the familiar question: where will people go?
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said the administration has been working to transition to a different style of shelter.
“We are working hard on a year-round shelter plan,” LaFrance said. “And a big part of that is to avoid that situation where shelter beds close and suddenly there are hundreds of people out on the streets and camping.“
The city is looking to operate three year-round shelters, smaller in size and scattered around town.
A Request for Proposals asks potential operators for, “no fewer than three shelter sites with a total year-round capacity of 200 shelter beds with capacity to add 200 more beds between October and March for a total of 400 beds during those months.” The RFP closes at the end of March.
In addition, the city plans to open a new shelter for people who wouldn’t do well outside, according to the Mayor’s Special Assistant on Homelessness, Farina Brown.
“In this shelter season what we recognized was that we really saw a large number of highly vulnerable individuals,” Brown said. “So we will maintain 100 non-congregate shelter beds for our most vulnerable folks.”
Brown said left-over Covid funding and Community Development Block Grants would pay for the rooms, likely in a hotel, through December of 2025.
More federal funding will also pay for rapid re-housing and some rental relief, according to Brown, who said the city has about $5 million to award to agencies to provide those services.
“We want to ensure prevention, we don’t want people entering homelessness as well as uplifting individuals who are homeless into housing,” Brown said.
Brown said they anticipate that at least 150 people can be moved into permanent housing with the funds.
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