A New City-Funded Plan Aims to Keep Shelters Open Year-Round, Offering Stability for Unhoused Residents and Relief for Outreach Teams
Anchorage, Alaska, is piloting a new shelter strategy that will allow people who are homeless to access beds year-round instead of only during the cold winter months, according to reports.
The new strategy follows the opening of a 100-bed shelter called Linda’s Place, one of three shelters funded by the municipal government. In total, the city operates about 300 shelter beds—just a fraction of the need, as nearly 1,400 people are experiencing homelessness, according to local data. Approximately 300 people are unsheltered, while the remaining individuals reside in shelters operated by other organizations or in transitional housing programs.
Agnew Bemben, a special assistant to the Anchorage mayor’s office, told Alaska Public Radio that the plan is to keep the shelters open year-round, making it easier for city staff to conduct outreach and address public camping. In previous years, the city would close its shelters in warmer months, Bemben said…