LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — As temperatures plummet Sunday night, groups are working together to help the homeless that will ride the cold stretch outside.
With air temperatures dropping into the single digits overnight, homeless outreach groups like Exit 0 and Southside Street Angels are banding together to make sure the homeless are prepared for the cold.
“As temperatures are dropping, that’s someone's life,” said Exit 0 founder Paul Stensrud. “If they don't have the proper gear, they may not wake up the next morning.”
For Southside Street Angels founder Amanda Mills, there is one thing that could help more than anything else.
“There's definitely a need for shelters or even a day shelter for people, to allow people to get out of the cold at least for a few hours,” she said.
In December, Wayside Christian Mission opened up a low-barrier shelter in downtown Louisville with around 100 beds. Saturday night the shelter saw some 170 people according to Stensrud. But when it comes to shelters outside of downtown Louisville, there are none. And getting downtown isn’t easy.
“Transportation is a big issue,” Mills said. “And even if some of these people get a ride somewhere they can’t easily find a ride back to where their camp might be.”
Many, like Shauna Clemons, decide to ride out the cold weather.
“Just lost my job, it’s just been hard getting back up on my feet,” Clemons said.
Clemons has been homeless for about a year and thanks the outreach groups for helping during that time.
“Because I wouldn't have anything that I have,” she said. “Someone came in and stole all my clothes out when I was at the hospital. They took the tent and all so I didn't have anything. So they rebuilt everything.”
To help these groups, you can volunteer or make donations.
“Find your niche,” Stensrud said. “We really need propane, Sterno, winter coats, warming mechanisms, you know just to be able to get them through the next day.”
Exit 0 can be found on Facebook by clicking here.
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