This Cold Snap has Filled the Arcata House Partnership’s Extreme Weather Shelter to Capacity

A homeless person. File photo by Andrew Goff. Homeless services have been pushed to the brink during this week’s cold snap, but funding set aside by Arcata in November is saving lives.  An extreme weather shelter run by the Arcata House Partnership has been filled to capacity during the last few days, AHP’s executive director Darlene Spoor told the Outpost today. All 80 rooms in an Arcata-area motel are being used; AHP staff had to send a few people who needed a room to other providers.  AHP has only been able to provide extreme weather shelter housing for around 20 people at a time for 10 nights every season during the last decade, but this shelter is being funded by $217,000 from several state lawsuits brought against opioid distributors and manufacturers. Arcata’s city council set aside their portion of the settlement back in November for homeless services. Spoor said there may be increased interest this year because shelter residents get a private room, something AHP hasn’t been able to offer in the past. She said AHP is indebted to the city for funding this project. Spoor said AHP’s staff is working all-out, cooking three meals a day for 80 people
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