During a Special Assembly Meeting this afternoon, the Anchorage Assembly approved four items to activate the 2023-2024 Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Plan, which will provide up to 522 beds and warm meals to people experiencing homelessness this winter.
With funding previously reappropriated from unspent funds, the plan the Anchorage Health Department (AHD) presented to provide cold weather shelter this winter combines housing investments with both congregate and non-congregate shelter:
Housing First
The funding dedicated to the 2023-2024 Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Plan includes a $1.3 appropriation to the Anchorage Affordable Housing & Land Trust as match funds for a housing project to be announced in the coming weeks. The plan also includes a provision establishing AHD's goal to move people into housing within 90 days of entering cold weather shelter.
Non-Congregate Shelter
374 beds will be provided in two hotels as non-congregate shelter, which were selected through a bidding process and approved at the October 10 Regular Assembly Meeting. Today, the Assembly approved AM 790-2023, As Amended, which authorized a contract with Majestic Alaska DBA Spinz to provide food at the non-congregate locations through the end of the calendar year.
Congregate Shelter
During today's special meeting, the Assembly approved AR 2023-348, a resolution to authorize an agreement between Solid Waste Services (SWS) and AHD to use the former SWS Central Transfer Station Administrative Building located at 1111 E 56th Ave as a congregate shelter for the 2023-2024 winter season, sheltering up to 150 individuals. AM 787-2023 and AM 786-2023 were both approved today to contract operations and food services, respectively, at the congregate shelter.
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CONTACT
Felix Rivera | Assembly Housing & Homelessness Committee Chair, felix.rivera@anchorageak.gov