Bethel Winter House has gained another piece of funding needed to address homelessness in Bethel.
The organization is fundraising to build a 20-unit apartment complex, which would connect to the Bethel Winter House building. It would stand as Bethel’s first housing structure to provide individual housing units for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Bethel Winter House would partner with other organizations in Bethel to provide health and social services to residents.
Data from April 2021 showed 34 people experiencing chronic homelessness in Bethel, but the report notes that the actual number could be higher.
The housing project is estimated to cost over $6.7 million. Most of the money has been raised from multiple sources. The most recent funding comes from the Alaska Mental Health Trust, which awarded $375,000 towards the project. That leaves only $750,000 left to raise, according to Bethel Community Services Foundation Executive Director Michelle DeWitt.
Bethel Winter House plans to begin driving pilings for the apartment complex in the winter of 2022.
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