Hennepin 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.
As temperatures started to dip this fall, homeless adults seeking refuge in one of Hennepin County’s emergency shelters had to call the intake hotline as soon as it opened each day at 10 a.m. to have a chance at claiming a spot.
Beds for men got snatched up fast. If a homeless man called any later, he would likely get the automated recording: “Hello, you have reached the Adult Shelter Connect. All shelter beds for men are now full.”
Some days, all beds for women were also booked before noon.
“[Shelters], they’re full, you know, and it’s the time of year that you would expect it to be that way,” said Angel Beaumaster, a volunteer who connects homeless people to county resources.
She acknowledged some people would rather live on the street than in shelters with various rules and reputations. But many still try to move indoors when temperatures run dangerously low.
“Another reason why everybody gets frustrated is because they say there’s shelters and stuff, but there ain’t.”