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| If your're down on your luck and unsheltered in Escambia County--where can you go to get out of this dangerous cold weather that is fast approaching? |
I've been contacted by some individuals concerning the upcoming historically low temperatures and wind chills expected over the next several days.
Some are very concerned about those who are unsheltered. I am too.
So with expected life-threatening cold temperatures coming beginning Thursday evening--where can someone go in Escambia County to escape these dangerous conditions overnight?
Some have suggested opening the Bay Center --however that seems like a long-shot although I have asked about it.
Meanwhile, I am told that citizens can call 2-1-1 to find a shelter.
I've also been told that The Alfred Washburn Center, the Waterfront Rescue Mission, and the Maxwell Respite Center of REAP will all be opening Thursday evening with expanded capacity to assist with providing cold weather shelters for the homeless.
However I'm hearing from some intimately familiar that "Maxwell is not taking anyone even though there's room for 50 more--and Alfred Washburn has no inside facilities, and Waterfront has recently refused a couple that didn't have the $10 cover charge. I'm now also told by someone who knows that the Alfred Washburn Center will NOT be a shelter.
So I'm concerned when the temps hit the teens and the wind chills are in single digits in the next 72 hours--folks might be desperate.
I'm just worried folks won't know where to go because it was not mentioned in the county's press release yesterday.
Knowing what I know about the numbers of homeless individuals in the county (nobody knows and can tell me what the real count is)--I worry some will not know where to go. I'm worried cold weather like this could result in death.
So later this morning I am going to speak with staff to see if we can't provide additional cold weather capacity with (some?) county facility. Why can't we do this and work with Red Cross to staff it?
Now's the time to get ahead of this, before someone dies of hypothermia.
Thank you so much for caring about this, Commissioner Bergosh. It's always the same game--pretend that the Washburn Center provides overnight shelter (it doesn't), pretend that the Mission meets the needs (they don't), and don't talk about it too loudly because we wouldn't want word to get around the homeless community that there's shelter available.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be blunt, but homeless advocates have seen this movie too many times before.
I don't understand why the Red Cross can't get involved and mobilize something with County EOC? I mean, wouldn't they be doing it if we were in for a hurricane? What's the difference? Extreme weather is extreme weather.