"homelessness"

This was the second winter the city operated the overnight shelter. Initial numbers suggest the shelter saw even more users this winter.

The Juneau Housing First Collaborative announced this week that it has been awarded more than $2.5 million in grants and loans for a project that will add a new wing to a subsidized housing complex in Lemon Creek.

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation is working with statewide partners to hire a rural homelessness coordinator.

This is the second winter the City and Borough of Juneau will operate the shelter. The facility in the old state public safety building on Whittier Street sleeps up to 28 people and operates from 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. through April 15.

The Homelessness Action Group began recently as a way to address the lack of shelters in the area and the Homer Community Food Pantry is expanding, in part because the number of clients it serves is growing.

The Assembly’s grant to the Juneau Housing First Collaborative brings them closer to expanding. The collaborative wants to more than double its capacity to provide permanent, supportive housing for the homeless.