The city of Anchorage is investing $1.3 million in federal funding in several local programs aimed at helping homeless residents get and keep stable housing. The mayor’s office put out a request for proposals to local nonprofits last week.
Thea Agnew Bemben, with the mayor’s office, said addressing people’s physical, developmental and behavioral health is an important piece of the municipality’s homeless response.
“One of the biggest needs that we have is housing options that provide supports, so that people who have additional challenges to maintaining housing can actually get into a housing unit and maintain it,” she said.
Staff at supportive housing units help residents with everything from buying groceries and using the bus system to managing their emotions and resolving conflict with roommates, Agnew Bemben said.
Supportive housing programs have existed in Anchorage for decades and right now the city has more than 1,500 units. Agnew Bemben said she hopes the funding will both augment what already exists and add some new units.
“It really is kind of the bedrock of what helps people who otherwise would probably be experiencing homelessness and be using a lot of emergency services,” she said. “It helps them maintain housing and really extends their life.”
The programs are proven effective in keeping people housed, Agnew Bemben said.
She said there are very clear ways to measure the performance of supportive housing.
“There should be an improvement in people's reported well-being, and then the length of time that people are able to maintain their housing is also a really important measure,” Agnew Bemben said.
She said there should also be a reduction in the use of emergency services and emergency shelter use, as well as visits to Anchorage’s Safety Center.
The federal funds are a one-time grant, but the idea, Agnew Bemben said, is for organizations to keep the programs funded through other, more sustainable sources.
The city hopes to award the money by mid-spring and have the additional supportive housing up and running by early summer.
