Cold Weather Places Strain on Homeless Shelters

Hundreds of Anchorage's homeless have taken refuge from this week's frigid weather by packing Brother Francis Shelter to its limit, causing Bean's Cafe next door to take in the overflow.

Brother Francis staff and the city say it's likely the most homeless people the shelters have ever housed. "They're just streaming in," said Dewayne Harris, program director at Brother Francis. "It's going to be a long, tough winter for our folks."

... Brother Francis has exceeded its emergency capacity of 240 people almost every night so far in November, he said. That means any more people looking for a warm place to sleep have to bunk at Bean's, which cannot exceed 159 people, according to the city.

The cold we've been experiencing isn't as severe as what comes in December and January, but it's earlier in the season than expected - and folks just weren't ready.