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With homeless shelter beds fully booked, Hennepin County has stopped tracking how many people it turns away
https://www.startribune.com/hennepin-homeless-shelter-bed-capacity-data/601204123Hennepin County’s emergency homeless beds continue to fill up at key times, despite a refrain from public officials that shelter is available for all who seek it, according to unsheltered people, their advocates and the county’s own hotline.
At the same time, the county has stopped tracking data that sheds light on the extent of the problem — people searching for a bed during the daytime but being told everything is booked.
(snip)
The Star Tribune started seeking annual shelter availability data in 2023 after receiving an email from Simpson Housing Services executive director Steve Horsfield about having to turn away seven women before 5 p.m. on a single January day.
(snip)
The Star Tribune later asked for the same information though an official data request, which eventually revealed more than 7,000 instances of people turned away from the shelter system in 2022, whether they called during the day or night.
At the same time, the county has stopped tracking data that sheds light on the extent of the problem — people searching for a bed during the daytime but being told everything is booked.
(snip)
The Star Tribune started seeking annual shelter availability data in 2023 after receiving an email from Simpson Housing Services executive director Steve Horsfield about having to turn away seven women before 5 p.m. on a single January day.
(snip)
The Star Tribune later asked for the same information though an official data request, which eventually revealed more than 7,000 instances of people turned away from the shelter system in 2022, whether they called during the day or night.
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