January count showed small increase in homelessness
Our community’s annual Point in Time Count of those experiencing homelessness took place in January and revealed a small increase in overall numbers. The count showed that 1,748 people were unsheltered or staying in shelters and transitional housing, up by 39 from a year earlier. With more year-round shelter beds, more people were staying in year-round shelter and fewer were in the seasonal shelter spots. But more were unsheltered, too.
Those unsheltered were sleeping outdoors, in vehicles and in places not fit for anyone to live. Our team asked why they weren’t staying in a shelter and the No. 1 reason was a lack of available beds. Other reasons included safety concerns and negative experiences at shelters, a personal preference not to go to shelter, lack of transportation, a need for privacy, and health and disability-related challenges. A few said they didn’t know how to access shelter or that they wouldn’t go to shelter because they couldn’t bring their pet.
Meanwhile, the work also assessed our community’s capacity to provide a safe space for those experiencing or emerging from homelessness. The night of the PIT Count, the community reported having 141 empty shelter beds out of an inventory of 1,254, counting both seasonal and year-round beds. Some housing programs were full, and others had a few beds available.
More than 300 of those experiencing homelessness reported they had a serious mental illness.
Nearly 200 were survivors of domestic violence.
More than 1 in 3 — 638 individuals — were chronically homeless.
See the numbers for our whole state on our dashboard (you can filter for Anchorage if desired).