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Data

Homelessness in Alaska: By the Numbers

The 2023 Point-In-Time (PIT) count for the State of Alaska showed a total of 2,614 individuals experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. This is a record high for the past 12 years. This included:

  • 1,764 individuals utilizing Emergency Shelter
  • 382 utilizing Transitional Housing
  • 468 unsheltered
  • 1,425 of those clients were in the Anchorage CoC

Note: The PIT count occurs in January, when our unsheltered population is much lower due to ColdWeather Emergency Shelter mandates in Anchorage.

In 2023:

  • 44.1% of Alaska’s population of PEH are American Indian/Alaska Native, yet they comprise only 15.2% of our state's population according to the 2020 Census.
  • 45.1% of the PEH population self-report a disabling condition.
  • 20.7% of the PEH population have a history of domestic violence.
  • 16% of Alaskans live in poverty.

According to the 2016 Housing Inventory Count (HIC), 15 of the 29 census areas in Alaska have no year-round emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, or permanent supportive housing facilities.

Source:
https://www.aceh.org/pit
https://www.aceh.org/data

Housing Inventory & Cost of Living

Alaska needs an estimated 27,500 housing units over the next 10 years across the income spectrum.

Units needed (new and rehabilitated) by community:

  • Kotzebue: 150 units
  • Bethel: 500 units
  • Mat-su: 7,000 units
  • Anchorage: 7,000 units
  • Kenai-Peninsula Borough: 1,500 units Sitka: 300 units

Hourly wage necessary to afford a 2 bedroom (BR) Fair Market Rate (FMR) in Alaska: $26.32

Salary needed to afford a 2BR FMR in Alaska: $55,740

Full-time jobs needed at minimum wage to afford a 2BR at FMR: 2.4

Source:
https://www.muni.org/Departments/Assembly/SiteAssets/Pages/FOCUS-Housing/Housing%
20Alaskans%20-%202023%20Housing%20Data.pdf

Data Matching with Local Health Care Systems

To examine the impact of high service utilizers on hospitals and the local health care system, and to use data to exemplify the need for increased investment in affordable housing, communities enact data matches between homeless management information systems (HMIS) and health system data such as that from hospitals, managed care, and Medicaid. This allows a view into the intersections between homelessness and high utilizers of health care services.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the five most common goals for dating sharing between health care and homeless services are:

  • To more quickly provide housing to PEH who are most vulnerable and to improve the ability to provide health care documentation such as Verification of Disability (VOD).
  • To improve coordination and collaboration between health care, homeless services, and housing providers, which improves both health and housing outcomes for patients and clients. Real-time data integration leads to ease in finding those who are engaged in a variety of services, allowing those in a hospital to identify a patient who has an open referral in Coordinated Entry (CE), for example.
  • To understand the complexities of the medical and social needs of the target population. This will also better help address policy concerns related to rising health care costs and the disparate outcomes by race.
  • To identify the costliest and most vulnerable subset of high utilizers, allowing providers to prioritize them for housing opportunities.
  • To make the case for supportive housing interventions, showing a potential return on investment based on analyzing utilization costs versus the costs of housing and services.


Source:
https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Homelessness-and-Health-Data-Sharing-Toolkit.pdf

Rural Overcrowding

Household crowding is a condition where the number of occupants exceeds the capacity of the dwelling space available, whether measured as rooms, bedrooms, or floor area, resulting in adverse physical and mental health outcomes.

The rates of overcrowding (more than 1.5 persons per room--including living room/kitchen) in every region of Alaska are higher than the rest of the US.

According to a 2018 Alaska Housing Finance Corporation study, nearly 40% of homes in the Calista and NANA regions experience overcrowding and severe overcrowding. The town of Savoonga experiences a 60% rate of overcrowding.

Source:
https://www.ahfc.us/pros/energy/alaska-housing-assessment/2018-housing-  assessment/ancsa-overcrowding