Homeless Seek Shelter to Avoid Bitter Cold
January 25, 2011 at 12:57 PM
WGGB-TV
With plummeting temperatures dropping as low as the negative 20's early Tuesday morning, the Friends of the Homeless on Worthington Street in Springfield were working in high gear to get as many people off the street as possible.
"One of the things we do is make sure people staying here themselves understand- so we put a sign up in kitchen. We think word of mouth is the best way for communication to happen for those who are down and out or on the streets and they can get the word to one another what's going on," Executive Director Bill Miller said.
Crowds Sunday night into Monday reached over-capacity numbers, as 173 men and women packed into a building holding 158 beds. Miller says part of the reason for the high crowds was certainly the cold but also the fact that the Taylor Street Shelter closes every Sunday.
"It is concerning that they consistently are closed Sunday nights," Miller said. "I thought at least with this bitter cold they'd stay open last night. They didn't. It means we are putting people on our floor in our hallway, that kind of thing so it's unfortunate but we are open 24/7 so we will make sure people have a warm place to be."
With all the people, emotions can run high. "There is a certain amount of cabin fever that goes on when people are contained in by the weather," Miller adds
Miller says, though, that they never lose focus on the service they provide to those who need it most. "I think that people are grateful for a warm place to be and we serve three meals a day so our kitchen has been busy as well as the overnight shelter," he said.
Kathy Tobin
After almost thirty years covering the news for television affiliates in Western Massachusetts, Kathy joined Friends of the Homeless in the fall of 2009 to help raise money and the profile of the organization to fulfill its mission. As Director of Development, Kathy is available to help you understand the work we are doing and how you might contribute to end homelessness in our community.