Tomorrow, Thursday, 25 2023, at 4 PM 
Homelessness Prevention & Response System Advisory Council Monthly Meeting

During the monthly virtual meeting, please join the Homelessness Prevention & Response System (HPRS) Advisory Council to discuss relevant Anchorage Continuum of Care initiatives and current events.

Date & Time: 4th Thursday of every month, 4:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting: Click to Join
- Meeting ID: 870 7123 1355
- Passcode: 362033

Download:
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Presentation

This meeting will also be recorded for meeting minutes and record-keeping purposes.

Anchorage’s Downtown Hope Center in critical need of supplies

"Sherrie Laurie, executive director of the Downtown Hope Center said they’ve seen a jump in the number of women staying at the shelter since the Sullivan Arena closed in early May. The Hope Center has 50 beds but Laurie said they’ve recently had as many as 76 women staying there, with many sleeping on the floor.

“It was a bit crowded and dangerous because it was just too many people,” Laurie said. “So we’ve now limited it at 70. They need to be here by curfew, and if they leave, then they are just going to have to try again the next night.”

Laurie said the numbers have left the shelter, which relies on donations, scrambling for supplies..."

3rd Avenue Resource & Navigation Center

"When someone walks into the 3rd Avenue Resource & Navigation Center, they’re met with a safe, welcoming environment and people that want to help, no matter what is needed. It’s a safe environment where our neighbors can relax and focus on how they will develop permanent stability, undistracted by immediate concerns like cold or hunger. By working in tandem with Brother Francis Shelter, 3rd Ave multiplies the capacity of that campus, providing more resources to more neighbors in need. In its first 6 weeks, 3rd Ave has welcomed 450 people through its doors and connected more than 150 of them with navigator services."

The System That Failed Jordan Neely

As may be true for many of you, we have been reading about the life of Jordan Neely, as well as his tragic death. We are holding on to the life he lived and the joy he brought to others, as well as what his horrific death should signal to all of us. 

While his murder can be attributed to a single person, the vulnerability, suffering, and loss of his life cannot be decoupled from the systems that failed him. What we know, through our work, is that these failures are the very failures that our unhoused neighbors are forced to endure every day, across the entire country. Homelessness is the bellwether for the strength of our systems and safety net. 

How Medical Respite Provides Support to People Experiencing Homelessness

People experiencing homelessness often live with chronic health conditions that can be exacerbated by mental health and/or substance use disorders. Many do not receive regular healthcare, and when they access healthcare, it usually is to address an acute care incident which results in frequent emergency department visits.

When people experiencing homelessness require hospitalization, they may have longer hospital stays even though they are not sick enough to remain hospitalized. This can occur because discharge planners, aware that the individual lacks safe, stable housing to recover and maintain follow-up care, are looking for options to ensure continuity of care and transition the patient to the most appropriate setting. Sometimes, the only option is to discharge the individual to emergency shelters, which are historically not resourced or equipped to provide the needed care support. This is where medical respite programs come in.

Homelessness and Housing First
Biden Administration Announces New Initiative to Address Unsheltered Homelessness

The Biden administration announced on May 18 the launch of ALL INside, a first-of-its-kind initiative to tackle unsheltered homelessness across the country. Through the ALL INside initiative, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and its 19 federal member agencies will partner with state and local governments to strengthen and accelerate local efforts to move individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness into homes in five cities and the State of California. NLIHC applauds the Biden administration for its launch of the ALL INside initiative, which is a key component of All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (Memo, 12/19/22).