Emily Robinson, identified in the meeting as "with IRS," told the Assembly Housing and Homeless Committee on Oct. 15 that the shelter system had been operating "at or near capacity every single night" and that staff are prioritizing rapid exits to housing to maximize use of roughly 300 available beds.

Robinson said the city used an intensive case-management pathway (at the Alex Hotel) to accelerate exits; in October, nine individuals moved directly to housing and three went to the Providence House with community funds. She described a recent example in which a client was connected to case management and transported home with multiple staff touchpoints.

Abatements and surge capacity
Robinson said an abatement was scheduled the following Tuesday at Russian Jack and Willowa; in advance of abatements, outreach teams (APD HOPE team, ACH outreach, Covenant House outreach) offer shelter and beds held for individuals who accept them on abatement day. To expand capacity, staff recommended activating surge beds in phases — for example, 10 beds at a time — instead of turning all surge capacity on at once, to allow case management and operations to scale.

Care gaps and coordination
Shelter staff described two operational challenges:
- Some clients cannot perform activities of daily living (ADLs) — eating, toileting, transferring — and shelters do not provide personal care attendants or nursing services. Public agencies and shelters have tried to route cases through adult protective services and the aging and disabilities resource center, but personal care services typically require an address and clients without one do not qualify.
- Behavioral-health incidents have led to short-term bans at individual shelters; staff have been rotating clients between sites to avoid leaving people outside, a practice described as unsustainable.

Use of Anchorage Safety Center
Staff said the Anchorage Safety Center (capacity about 45) has been used as a short-term option for walk-ups and drop-offs when medical staff or EMT presence is needed. Officials said they do not want the center to become a general warming center because its capacity is limited.

Other operational notes
- East 50th Avenue site underwent an aggressive bed-bug treatment earlier in the month with large improvement after multi-day treatments.
- Staff said they had been deduplicating turnaway counts and that, having maximized current bed usage, they were prepared to begin phased surge activation but had not yet identified the funding source for additional beds.

Public comment reflected frustration with shelter availability and conditions. Multiple speakers described repeated displacement, difficulty accessing shelter space and accommodations for disabilities, and instances of property loss or theft while people remained unsheltered. Comments included: "I passed a 100 people just walking to the bus stop this morning" (Bridal Vaughn) and "I've watched a young girl with her toddler sitting there crying, not knowing where to go" (Randy). Speakers said limited capacity and eligibility rules (for assisted living and personal care services) left some people without an appropriate shelter option.

Why it matters: The testimony and staff presentation together highlight that the system is using its current beds intensively but still faces operational limits when clients need higher levels of personal care or when cold-weather abatements are planned.

Next steps
Health department and shelter operators said they would proceed with careful activation of surge capacity, begin seeking funding to operate additional beds, and continue coordination with adult protective services and outreach teams to address clients with ADL needs.