As the region deals with the first snow of the new year and residents begin bundling up to prepare for potentially life-threatening cold temperatures for those spending long periods of time outdoors, local organizations are ramping up their efforts to make sure Philadelphia’s homeless community stays safe and warm through the storm.
Local homelessness and poverty advocacy organization Project HOME says it will operate its Homeless Outreach Hotline throughout the snow storm that is expected to drop as many as 7-inches of snow in Philadelphia. Project HOME spokesman Laura Weinbaum says people can call the hotline if they see anyone out on the streets that may need shelter.
“If people see people who are outside or even if people see people going into abandoned buildings, we encourage them to contact this hotline number and an outreach worker will come and attempt to engage that person and offer them a place indoors, or water, or socks, or things like that to help them,” Weinbaum said.
With the expectation of extreme temperatures accompanying the storm, several municipalities including Burlington and Camden counties have begun issuing “Code Blue" emergency warnings.
Such warnings are issued by local governments when temperatures drop below 20-degrees.
According to Weinbaum, the issuance of a Code Blue emergency warning triggers additional assistance for programs like Project HOME, including access to vacant beds in emergency housing centers funded by the City and full-day stays at city-funded shelters.
“It is a code blue which enables us to take special action. The city opens additional spaces in a couple of recreation centers and other places, and we’ll obviously be using any available beds that we have both within Project Home and also through other providers in the city,” Weinbaum said.
“A Code Blue also creates the ability for police to help relocate and transport people who are still out there on the streets because it’s actually very dangerous to be out there when the temperatures are so low.”
The Bethesda Project is another program that will be able to provide special services to homeless persons during the storm.
In conjunction with community organization Broad Street Ministry, the Bethesda Project operates a winter café that allows overnight stays for up to 75 men, women and children that are in need of shelter.
Director of Entry Level Programs Misty Sparks says Bethesda will also be taking advantage of additional service allowances made available by the city during a Code Blue.
“Due to the Code Blue, our capacity at the café increases, some shelter procedures change, the hours of operation are increased, and there are very limited reasons for which we would ask folks to leave the shelter,” Sparks said.
According to Sparks the café which operates nightly from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. from mid-December to early April, will likely reach its capacity limit at the height of the storm.
“I am sure that we will have a packed house tonight,” Sparks said. “Pretty much anytime it snows we hit capacity.”
When Bethesda’s café reaches capacity, its coordinators contact other outreach services to assist anyone who is still in need of shelter.
The Bethesda Project, which serves more than 2,500 homeless and formerly homeless men and women each year at 14 sites throughout Philadelphia, has been operating its winter café since 2006.
The Project HOME Homeless Outreach Hotline can be reached 24/7 at 215-232-1984.
Photo Credit: AP