The Cold...outside and in

What happens to the Homeless when it becomes life-threateningly cold outside? 

Have you ever wondered?

Here in Savannah, there is a standing agreement with the city and shelters that when the temperature drops below 32° F.  those Homeless "in the wind" can come and stay the night. So, of course you would expect that shelters, on these frightfully cold nights would be full up.  And surprisingly, you might be wrong.

The belief that someone would naturally come in from the cold comes from a few miscalculations about the Homeless that I hope to remove from you (I used to hold to these same misunderstanding, until practical experience disabused me of these notions.).  You see, as with any thing, there are rules and stipulations to agreements.  Here at Grace House for instance, we are extremely reluctant to accept anyone in who has been abusing drugs and alcohol that same evening.  The rational is simple, better to lose one than lose all.  Many of our residents are recovering from drug and alcohol abuse and being in close proximity to a person who is actively using can put your sobriety into forfeiture.  This may seem harsh, but as I said earlier better to lose one than lose all.  The word is out about Grace House so many wont even come by on these nights because they know we actively test for drugs and alcohol.

This brings up another assumption...The Homeless are made up of mostly drug addicts and alcoholics.  First, let me say, that if you have ever been to Savannah during St. Patrick's Day you will see that many activities in the evening here swirl around a martini swizzle stick and open cups of Heineken.  It is most easy to fall into the troughs of alcohol abuse here, as many of the Homeless have.  So, yes a pronounced number in the Homeless Community are alcoholics.  The same can be said about drug abuse and the escalating cycle of choice in drugs; marijuana to cocaine to crack or crystal meth then horse (heroin).  Once captured in their clutches drugs and alcohol abuse lead one down a very predictable path that leads to Homelessness (a place many hope will be their bottom).   So many Homeless will choose to stay out "in the wind" letting their alcohol keep them warm (of course alcohol actually does the opposite, robbing the body of heat). Or they stay out swimming in their drug addled delusions... and some will die tonight because of it.  That is a group for sure, part of the 150 - 200 that live on the streets nightly here.

But that was not my course to Homelessness (I will tell this story in a later post) and, of late, drugs and alcohol may be contributing factors to Homelessness but the poor economy has muscled his way to the front row and the head of the line.  The largest percentages of new Homeless are families.  Let me ask you a question, when the rent in Savannah starts around the $500.00/monthly and you have to decide whether rent or food come first on a salary (or two or three) of  $7.50/an hour to feed a family of four which one do you pick? (Big surprise, you can't do either well). 

But I digress; we were talking about shelter from the cold...

As I stated earlier, the largest growing percentage of the Homeless are families.  And here is the craptastic problem that faces Savannah as well as the rest of America...the lack of shelters for Families.  Men's shelters are the most prevalent, followed by shelters for women with children then maybe children alone.  But for a Father, mother and children to find a place is near impossible in Savannah, GA.  And some families...all they have is each other and to sacrifice that, even for warmth, is not a compromise that they CAN make (in my earlier post "Mortality...and the Homeless" I explain how precious the few things we carry from the "Normal" world into the Homeless world are...imagine if that "thing" was your wife or infant child...think about it). 

But Savannah, like many, many cities across America is strapped financially, having to make deep cuts into the social services programs that they already provide.  Who can ask Savannah for a shelter dedicated to the welfare of Homeless families (and single women as well...single women are some of the most vulnerable victims of abuse, robbery, rape and murder in the Homeless world.  They, too, have very few choices for places to stay in Savannah).  No, I would not ask Savannah for it...but I would approach the private sector.  Look around you...there are large, privately owned  buildings around town sitting empty for YEARS, that could be converted to shelter space for the Homeless.  And there are activist within the community that can aid us all in coordination and acquisition of necessary material and manpower...which I can assure you is available in the Savannah community TODAY!  What can we, as Savannians do? Do we need a ballot measure, neighborhood petitions to these private owners...perhaps one of us to just ask a question to see if the spirit of altruism that has come alive in our hearts will leap to theirs? ('Course, you may have to ask the big question first..."Do I want a Homeless Shelter in my neighborhood?")

So when the thermometer dips below the freezing mark, ask yourself; "What can I do to help bring those in from the cold who want to come in?" or...you can just turn over in your warm bed and pull up your comforter and wish for a warmer tomorrow.