Anchorage sees 28% drop in unsheltered homelessness, shelters at capacity

The Anchorage Assembly's Housing and Homelessness Committee heard Wednesday that the 2026 Point-in-Time Count recorded 291 people sleeping outside, a 28% decline from 2025, while municipal shelters operated at 100% capacity and administration officials estimated the need for expanded shelter capacity (including 100 additional year-round beds, seasonal surge beds, and night-only shelter) at an annual cost of approximately $2.45 million.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance opened the presentation by highlighting the reduction in unsheltered homelessness. "This year's Point-in-Time Count shows a 28% reduction in unsheltered homelessness compared to last year," LaFrance stated. "That is fewer people sleeping in our public spaces, fewer people susceptible to our cold winter nights, and fewer people unsafe in our community." The count, conducted January 26, tallied 291 people sleeping outside, down from 402 in 2025. The drop comes as Anchorage has been piloting a year-round shelter model that keeps beds open beyond winter, a shift officials hope will reduce street homelessness compared with prior seasonal shelters; the Assembly adopted the Anchored Home Plan in 2024 as the municipality's official strategy to address homelessness.

The municipality has shifted to year-round shelter for the first time, maintaining 300 beds at three facilities: East 56th Avenue, Linda's Place, and the Alex. Between November 2025 and April 2026, the system added 150 surge beds, bringing total capacity to 450 during the coldest months. All municipal shelter beds were at 100% occupancy on the night of the count, and the overall system operated at 95% utilization. LaFrance emphasized that full shelters demonstrate both the necessity of existing beds and the need for expansion. "This year, our shelter beds across the municipality were full at the time of the count," LaFrance noted. "This highlights the need for these beds and the critical role they play in keeping a vulnerable population safe. But we still need more shelter beds."

Of 160 unsheltered individuals surveyed, 85 cited lack of available beds as the reason they were not in shelter. Thea Agnew-Benben, special assistant to the mayor on homelessness, health, and community safety, told the committee that shelter providers reported 85 turnaways on a recent weekend in early May, though that figure is duplicated across multiple facilities. "Right now, our shelter providers are reporting, like, this was just a couple weekends ago, 85 turnaways," Agnew-Benben explained. "Those are duplicated, so I think you could say if somebody tried our two congregate shelters, maybe 40 turnaways, but that's quite a lot in early May."

Agnew-Benben presented the administration's estimate for meeting current demand: 100 additional year-round beds at East 56th Avenue, 50 surge beds at Linda's Place for November and December, 20 beds at the non-congregate site, and night-only shelter during the coldest periods. "We would love to have another 100 beds at East 56, you know, kind of starting tomorrow would be wonderful," Agnew-Benben remarked. "We could fill those beds and that would be great. If we had another 50 beds at Linda's Place for November-December, so just carrying on with kind of our surge plan, as well as adding 20 beds at our non-congregate site." The total cost would be approximately $2.45 million annually beyond the current budget.