By Josette Brose-Eichar
Today the sun is back out, the fog and rain gone, yet the days are chilled and the nights brittle and cold, to the point of shattering. During the rain, those with no real home were washed out of their attempts at home, under bridges, along the creek. Those sleeping in vehicles wrapped themselves in what they had to fight the cold, and stayed trapped in their tiny space, out of the pounding rain.
Here are the rules that are set and used for a city or county to open a warming shelter:
“An Extreme Cold Weather Event in the City of Sonoma is defined as either three consecutive days with overnight lows below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, as forecasted by the National Weather Service (NWS); or forecast temperatures dropping below an average nighttime low of 37 degrees for two consecutive days with, accompanying hazardous conditions (example: a flood warning) during the overnight period.”
How would a person living on our streets or in their car know when the criteria are met and a shelter would be open? And how could they find out where the shelter is and what hours it will be open? The reality is they couldn’t. Many bad weather days do not meet these criteria, but the shelter opens and closes to follow the guidelines.
Several years ago, a private citizen opened their unused building on West Napa Street as a 24/7 warming shelter. He and his wife allowed volunteers to run the shelter at no charge. In speaking with the property owner and one of the volunteers, I was told that over the course of the cold weather as many as 40 people came per day, and 120 individuals used the shelter. Today the building’s gone – so, sadly, that option is not available this winter.
As many write on social media about people suffering in the cold and rain, asking the city or county for help, an equal number write dismissively about the unhoused. These critics write, “Why don’t you take them in your home?” –“They are all drug addicts and at fault for their situation.” –“Why should taxpayers foot the bill?” They sharply criticize anyone who cares or wants local government to act. They only see those on the streets as people they can label as “problems.” They do not see those who have lost jobs and homes and who are quiet and invisible to them.
The City and County perform outreach to those living on the streets, but the number of staff available for that work is only a few people, to serve the estimated 200 or more people living outdoors. When staff find an at-risk individual they work with them to find a shelter bed. Think of this, if there were a 24/7 winter shelter open, this same staff could come there and work with many more people each day or night. More people could be reached and receive counseling and assistance. In the end, this approach would expand the numbers reached by counseling and result in more people in permanent housing.
What can we do? We can ask our City and County elected officials to think beyond the criteria they are using, to embrace the reality of a 24/7 shelter here in the Valley for every winter, all-winter, and to make this shelter a hub for resources to help those living on our streets get permanent housing and the help they need.
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