With temperatures dropping into the single digits this week and wind chills well below zero, Cleveland-area organizations that help the homeless are preparing for an increase in demand.
The City Mission, a long time non-profit organization, will implement its policy of not turning people away at its men and women’s facilities. Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center can accommodate 160 women and their children. The facility is already at its capacity, but overflow space will be provided this week, according to chief development officer Michael Parry.
“When the weather is extremely cold, we go into a zero turn-away mode,” Parry said. “They’re not luxurious accommodations. They could be an air mattress on the multi-purpose room floor or an air mattress on the chapel floor. But again, it’s in and out of the cold. People are not going to freeze to death in situations like this.”
NE Ohio Coalition for the Homeless working to get people out of bitter cold and into shelters
A wind chill advisory remains in effect for the Cleveland area as the wind chill is expect to dip well below zero Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The high temperature isn’t expected to get above freezing for the next seven days. More lake effect snow is also expected for parts of the region.
Early Tuesday afternoon, a team of volunteers had already begun preparing the nightly meal. Other volunteers were preparing the facility for a possible increase in demand for service.
“Weather conditions like these, we certainly don’t want to see anyone outside,” Parry said.
Laura’s Home also provides long term assistance for women and their children. The facility provides a bevy of programs aimed at helping women obtain affordable housing. In 2016, City Mission provided nearly 82,000 meals to homeless men and nearly 89,000 meals to homeless women and children. The non-profit also provided nearly 42,000 shelter nights to men and 49,000 shelter nights to women and children.
City Mission receives no government assistance. Instead, its budget is comprised almost entirely of private donations, Parry said. More than ninety cents of every dollar the non-profit spent last year was on program-related services.
The non-profit has been around for more than a century. It has certainly endured periods of increased demand brought on by the weather.
“We’re never really sure what the need is going to be so we try to stay flexible and accommodate all who come to us during these very very difficult weather circumstances,” Parry said.
The City of Cleveland has also opened four warming centers that will be open 24 hours a day for at least the next two days. The warming centers are located at the Zelma Watson George Recreation Center, Collinwood Recreation Center, Michael Zone Recreation Center and the Lonnie Burton Recreation Center.
