Complex Care Shelter in Anchorage, AK, supported by Weidner Apartment Homes, outperforms Alaska's average shelter graduation rate by 25.5%

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Weidner Apartment Homes, the 15^th largest apartment owner in the U.S. and prominent Alaska real estate investor, was one of the first public partners to support Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) Complex Care Shelter to address homelessness in Anchorage.

Complex Care can assist up to 83 elderly or medically fragile adults experiencing homelessness find permanent housing through supportive services and case management. This facility is essential for high-risk demographics requiring specific care to reach stability.

Complex Care’s 2023 performance reports show promising data in solving homelessness in Anchorage. Of the 219 shelter guests, 80% developed a case plan during their stay. Furthermore, 94 of the 241 discharged guests transitioned into stable housing, and Complex Care outperformed Alaska’s 2021 average successful shelter graduation rate by 25.5%.

Weidner’s support for Complex Care began in 2019 after partnering with public and private entities to fund the purchase of the site’s building. This contribution encouraged other private and public groups to assist Complex Care financially. Robin Dempsey, CEO of CSS, shared, “Weidner provided the necessary resources to make the program as effective as possible. Complex Care wouldn’t have happened without Weidner’s initial contribution.”

Public-private partnerships are vital resources for piloting new approaches to solve city-wide problems. Weidner and other philanthropic investors saw an opportunity to ignite change where public sectors were initially unable to finance. These partnerships kickstarted Complex Care, and the following public investments have proven to sustain its success.

“Leveraging the expertise of local service providers to determine Anchorage’s needs while exploring national best practices was key to our investment in Complex Care,” said Dean Weidner, Weidner’s Founder and Chairman. “While that can feel risky for local jurisdictions, private-sector companies can contribute to the upstream risk-taking process to define a successful strategy. Innovation is an integral part of our business model, and employing that approach to our philanthropic partnerships provides new opportunities towards solving homelessness.”

About Weidner Apartment Homes

Founded by W. Dean Weidner in 1977, Weidner Apartment Homes is a real estate investment and management company recognized as an efficient provider of quality rental apartment homes and a creative developer of new housing. The company is headquartered in Kirkland, WA, and its portfolio covers 13 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. Please visit our website https://www.weidner.com/.