Mayor’s office outlines shelter surge, new crisis centers and micro‑units to respond to winter demand
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Summary
The mayor’s office updated the Housing and Homeless Committee on 300 municipally contracted year‑round beds, a temporary 25‑bed surge at East 56 approved under an emergency declaration, micro‑unit openings, and planned crisis stabilization centers from regional health partners.
The mayor’s office presented a shelter‑system update to the Assembly Housing and Homeless Committee on Dec. 17, describing steps to manage winter demand and expand short‑term capacity.
Thea Agnew Bemben, special assistant to the mayor, said the municipality contracts for 300 year‑round beds — 100 each at East 56 and Linda’s Place (congregate) and 100 at Alex (noncongregate). When cold weather pushed the safety center to capacity, the administration requested and the Assembly affirmed an emergency declaration that allowed adding 25 beds at East 56 to decompress the safety center, which the administration described as a 24/7 first‑responder drop‑off and triage point.
Kathleen McLaughlin of Restorative and Reentry Services said daily real‑time coordination among providers is getting people into shelter and services and described using the Good Neighbor Fund to buy temporary hotel rooms when no shelter beds are immediately available. “We are not saying no,” McLaughlin said, describing case examples where people were bought a single night in a hotel and then folded into shelter or services the next day.
The administration outlined near‑term capacity and longer‑term system changes: Southcentral Foundation is expected to open a crisis stabilization center in June with 16 recliner chairs (23‑hour care) and 16 short‑stay beds; Providence plans a center in October with 12 chairs and 12 beds. Agnew Bemben said those centers will shift some high‑needs care off the safety center. She also reported the Good Neighbor Fund had more than 200 donors and over $100,000 in recent weeks and said micro units (24 completed with eight more to follow) are coming online, with an intent‑to‑award for operators pending and move‑in expected early January.
The administration emphasized system integration: daily coordination meetings with shelter providers and outreach partners, shuttle transportation from the safety center to nearby congregate shelters, and use of noncongregate hotel capacity when appropriate. Officials said they are balancing short‑term capacity needs against a strategic priority to direct resources toward transitional and permanent housing rather than expanding congregate shelter indefinitely.
The update also noted municipal work to bring a housing rehabilitation fund forward using prior CDBG and HOME funds via a substantial amendment (30‑day public comment), and reengagement with evacuees previously placed in hotels who are now moving into housing.
The committee heard that the municipality will bring a crisis‑system data dashboard to the Public Health and Safety Committee and aims to present a housing, homelessness and health dashboard at the Housing and Homeless Committee’s January meeting to increase transparency about shelter use, safety center capacity and outcomes.
The administration asked for continued community collaboration and said the combination of surge beds, Good Neighbor Fund purchases, micro units and upcoming crisis stabilization centers will increase options for people at risk during the cold months.
