City News Briefs
Available Shelter Beds Go Unfilled
Despite the opening up of 170 beds at the Homeless Services Center (HSC), roughly 100 shelter beds go unfilled and, as of late December, were still available according to the City.
Tent fires, a fatality due to a tent fire, and an unattended outside death have occurred. In total, there have been 12 deaths outside in campsites in 2023. Calls for service have also significantly increased in the area of Harbor View Park with 303 calls in 2023 and seven overdoses, one fatal. In 2022, there were 59 calls for service and no overdoses.
Between November 30th and December 17th, 2023, 43 unhoused individuals from Harbor View accepted the offer of a bed at the HSC. Based on the occupant count of 142 individuals at the encampment, this represents a bed acceptance rate of over 30%.
City staff successfully completed 83 surveys at the encampment. Eight respondents had previously stayed at the HSC. These surveys also identified the top three reasons individuals refuse a bed at the HSC. In ranked order, these are loss of autonomy, transportation barriers, and fear of loss of belongings. To address those barriers, staff extended the HSC curfew to 11:00 p.m., secured vans and established regular pick-up times to help individuals relocate to the HSC, and improved education efforts regarding storage resources and capacity.
