Recent cold fronts are making it difficult for Leon County’s homeless to keep warm.
Residents and homeless shelters are maximizing their limited space to help the homeless stay warm by as the temperature declines.
Last winter, the shelter was responsible for giving aid to more than 200 people, but this year, they are providing aid to approximately 230 people. The increase in numbers have been a problem this year and the shelter has maximized its limited space by filling other sections like their daycare center and has even placed families in motels.
Despite the shelter’s efforts to solve their limited space problem on some occasions many of the homeless had to sleep outside under the pavilion. Some nights up to 30 men slept outside in the cold. The cold and rainy nights proved to be one of the biggest problems.
With very little government assistance in the last 12 years organizations that cater to the homeless have to rely on groups like the United Way and community contributions to feed 300 people daily. These organizations prepare all the meals offered in the shelter and on sundays the Good News Outreach serves lunch Jacob Reiter, a member of AmeriCorps VISTA and the Domestic Peace Core, is trying to make a difference for people who are homeless in Tallahassee.
“The city commissioners have put in place a cold snap emergency shelter. This is designed to house homeless people that aren’t able to get into the shelters. The emergency shelter is located at Lincoln Center and they open it three out of ten days when the weather is less than 30 degrees,” said Reiter.
The emergency shelter city can house 71 more people when the shelters are filled.
“We do not want our people to sleep outside during these cold times. With more beds and space we would be able to provide [more] to those in need,” says Reiter. “The $30,000 given to the county from the city commission in January was very helpful, but it was still less than five percent of the money needed.”
HUD Money Federal Funding provides money to the community and the money is passed down to Big Bend who distributes the money to other citywide organizations.
Recent cold fronts are making it difficult for Leon County’s homeless to keep warm. Residents and homeless shelters are maximizing their limited space to help the homeless stay warm by as the temperature declines.
Last winter the shelter was responsible for giving aid to more than 200 people but this year they are providing aid to approximately 230 people. The increase in numbers have been a problem this year and the shelter has maximized its limited space by filling other sections like their daycare center and has even placed families in motels.
Despite the shelter’s efforts to solve their limited space problem on some occasions many of the homeless had to sleep outside under the pavilion. Some nights up to 30 men slept outside in the cold. The cold and rainy nights proved to be one of the biggest problems.
With very little government assistance in the last 12 years organizations that cater to the homeless have to rely on groups like the United Way and community contributions to feed 300 people daily. These organizations prepare all the meals offered in the shelter and on sundays the Good News Outreach serves lunch.
Jacob Reiter, a member of AmeriCorps VISTA and the Domestic Peace Core, is trying to make a difference for people who are homeless in Tallahassee.
“The city commissioners have put in place a cold snap emergency shelter. This is designed to house homeless people that aren’t able to get into the shelters. The emergency shelter is located at Lincoln Center and they open it three out of ten days when the weather is less than 30 degrees,” said Reiter.
The emergency shelter city can house 71 more people when the shelters are filled.
“We do not want our people to sleep outside during these cold times. With more beds and space we would be able to provide [more] to those in need,” says Reiter. “The $30,000 given to the county from the city commission in January was very helpful, but it was still less than five percent of the money needed.”
HUD Money Federal Funding provides money to the community and the money is passed down to Big Bend who distributes the money to other citywide organizations. Although good for the community as a whole, none of the money is provided for the homeless.