Demand for services at Anchorage homeless shelter stabilizes

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Officials at Alaska’s largest homeless shelter are optimistic that demand for services has stabilized for now.

The emergency mass shelter at Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena serves 400 people, with about 200 more at a newly-opened shelter at the Fairview Recreation Center and in hotel rooms funded by the city, Alaska Public Media reported Monday.

“We have generally stabilized around 580 to 600 every night, which I think helps me believe that we have hit kind of a sweet spot, if you will, of really defining what the homeless population looks like right now,” said Cathleen McLaughlin, who oversees the Sullivan Arena shelter.

There are more people in the Anchorage shelter system now than there have been during any other year on record, Anchorage Housing and Homeless Services Coordinator Nancy Burke said.

A moratorium on evictions of people behind on rent payments because of the coronavirus pandemic is scheduled to end Dec. 31.

“People, frankly, are running out of money with the assistance that was coming in from the federal government,” Burke said. “So we could see an increase even beyond what we’ve seen so far.”

Sullivan Arena workers observed an increase in demand as temperatures dropped in recent months. They laid out extra floor mats to increase capacity, but demand has continued rising, McLaughlin said.

Managers can now promote and reward good behaviour among shelter clients by offering spaces at the Fairview centre and in hotels, where they enjoy more privacy.

Shelter workers conduct client assessments to determine capability for moving to rooms beyond the arena. There are subsequently far fewer reports of trouble at the shelter each day.

“They have to self-advocate for themselves, so we will give everybody a try,” McLaughlin said.

For some, having their own rooms sets them up for success, McLaughlin said.

“The beauty is that after people are stabilized into these hotel rooms, then they can move on to other opportunities to start focusing on moving forward,” McLaughlin said. “We have a couple individuals who just got jobs on the North Slope.”

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

The Associated Press