Building Updates & News

12/16/21- Due to limited storage capacity during our facility move, we are currently requesting only donations of non-perishable food items, or money for Bean's Cafe and The Children's Lunchbox. We do not have the ability to take items requiring freezing or refrigeration currently.  Further, no donations are being accepted at 1101 E. 3rd Avenue from this point forward.

All donations should come to the 2nd floor of our Administration building located at 1020 E. 4th Avenue (not the loading dock off 4th Avenue). The donation door is best accessed off 5th Avenue, as we are located directly behind Van's Dive Bar and adjacent to Lucky Wishbone. Look for the two-story gray and maroon building across the alleyway from both of the above businesses. There is ample parking in front of the donation door and you may ring the doorbell or call 907.433.8601 when you arrive. Donations are accepted Monday - Friday 9am - 4pm. We apologize for any inconvenience, but exciting things are happening and we're so grateful for your support and understanding during this time.

9/16/21 The Bean's Cafe contract with the Municipality of Anchorage for operation of the Mass Emergency Shelter at Sullivan Arena came to a close Wednesday, September 15. We are still providing food services to the shelter (we drop the food off), but we are no longer the primary contact for matters related to shelter.

We are once again turning our focus to feeding the hungry and homeless and providing referrals to resources. We have existed in Anchorage since 1979- long before the mass emergency shelter came to be, and we are not going anywhere.

Building Update February 19, 2021

For Immediate Release

February 19, 2021

Contact-Lisa Sauder- CEO
C. 907.350.3818
lsauder@beanscafe.org

Diana Arthur- Development and Communication Director
C. 907.632.3349
darthur@beanscafe.org

Bean’s Cafe to Expand Services to Meet Needs of Community

Sale of Bean’s Cafe 1101 E. 3rd Avenue building announced

Bean’s Cafe is excited to be part of a coordinated effort to reduce homelessness in Anchorage. With an agreement in place to sell the current Bean’s Cafe site at 1101 E. 3rd Avenue, the agency is planning for expansion of services to better meet the increased needs in Anchorage following the onset of COVID-19.

Lisa Sauder, CEO, Bean’s Cafe says, “We are focused on how to best meet the needs of our community, both for shelter and for food security. The partnership with Weidner Apartment Homes and Rasmuson Foundation will bring a new level of private funding and support to help systemically change how homelessness and food security are addressed in Anchorage.”

Since 1979 Bean’s Cafe has been providing safe, warm day shelter, meals, and connection to services. For numerous years, the organization has also provided emergency cold weather shelter for up to 166 people. With the onset of COVID-19, Bean’s Cafe was asked by the Municipality of Anchorage to stand up a Mass Emergency Shelter at Sullivan Arena. This shelter opened on March 21, 2020. Since opening the doors, 3305 people have accessed shelter and food at the Arena. The current capacity inside the shelter is 400 people. The agency has proved that you can successfully operate a large-scale shelter with minimal COVID-19 transmission. With strict regulations and the consistent following of CDC guidelines, Bean’s Cafe Mass Shelter has kept the transmission of the virus extremely low. In the most recent testing of clients at the shelter, 281 tests were given and there were zero positive cases. Since testing began May 2020 about 5700 tests have been conducted with 151 positive results.

How is this accomplished with 400 people in the shelter daily? The answer is not complex. Weekly COVID-19 testing for clients and staff, strict sanitation protocols, social distancing and a no-nonsense rule regarding face masks are keeping the transmission rate low. By adhering to the CDC guideline of six feet of separation between cots, there has been no contact tracing cases attributed to transmission from someone in a neighboring cot. There are also environmental factors to be considered, the Sullivan Arena is well ventilated, does not have forced air, has high ceilings, and an open layout which may have contributed to the low spread of COVID-19. These factors have helped ensure the health and well-being of the 3305 unique individuals that have utilized the shelter since it opened.

Additional considerations have been made to minimize the exposure during congregant mealtimes. By looking at research and data from other shelter outbreaks, it is believed that congregant meals in shelters are one of the highest risk points for transmission. By reducing the time for congregant meals and implementing a “meals-on-demand” model where clients have a choice of a meal and when they would like to eat there is no more standing in line to access food or hundreds of people dining together in close quarters. Meals are currently available 12 hours per day to clients. This has also helped to reduce food waste and further stabilize people staying at the Shelter.

While COVID-19 has presented many challenges, it has also presented the opportunity to develop an entirely new model of emergency shelter in Anchorage. By allowing clients to access a cot 24 hours per day and to have storage space for their items we have seen more people engage in shelter. Many are new to homelessness but many also were campers or unwilling or unable to engage in the former models of shelter available in Anchorage.

The Mass Emergency Shelter at the Sullivan Arena has been able to create a model of client-focused services on demand. Showers and laundry services are available seven days per week. A navigation hub provides screening for clients to connect to services including treatment, housing, employment, assistance applying for benefits, and more. An on-site medical clinic operated jointly by Southcentral Foundation, Providence Health Services Alaska, and Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center provides primary care five days per week.

A Shelter 2 Success program has helped Bean’s Cafe employ 16 people directly from the shelter. Moving them into transitional housing and providing a step-down approach that helps them stabilize and within 90 days to be able to pay their rent, utilities, and expenses. 75% of the participants in the program are still employed and living independently. Bean’s Cafe intends to stay in shelter operations whether that will be on the current third avenue location or another site.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bean’s Cafe has expanded and modified its emergency food response programs. Serving homeless, at-risk adults in addition to hungry families and children, we have seen a huge increase in demand for services. Over the same period, year-to-date in 2019/2020, we served 310,500 meals. As part of our COVID-19 response, we have already served 727,017 meals. The community has continued to support our efforts to make sure no one in Anchorage goes hungry or unsheltered through continued financial and in-kind product donations. We have received 268,432 pounds of donated food since the pandemic onset. This has necessitated turning our former “dining room” into a food storage and meal preparation space. All client services are now delivered off-site.

The site being sold at 1101 E. 3rd Avenue has been serving solely as a food production facility and storage site since March. To accommodate the growing need for access to food, the agency will be remodeling a building they currently own in Anchorage. Plans include an expanded commercial kitchen, food production area, expanded refrigeration and freezer space, and warehouse space which will include dock-high loading to allow for efficient storage. No client services will be conducted at this facility.

Bean’s Cafe exists to fight hunger for all ages, one meal at a time, while providing a pathway to self-sufficiency with dignity and respect since February 1979. Currently, Bean’s Cafe operates the mass emergency shelter at Sullivan Arena under contract with the Municipality of Anchorage/Emergency Operation Center where the hungry and homeless are provided with hot nutritious meals, a warm and safe shelter, and referral assistance to health and human service programs. Bean’s Cafe is open 365 days of the year, ensuring these services are always available to those most vulnerable in our community. Visit www.BeansCafe.org for more information.

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