GREENSBORO, N.C — The homeless population is bracing for more cold temperatures as cities look for ways to get them out of the frigid weather.
What You Need To Know
- White Flag shelters have been running since November
- Around 700 homeless members die of hypothermia every year in the United States
- Cities are looking for other alternatives to help get those out of the cold
- The Doorway Program in Greensboro is housing 56 members of the homeless population from November to March
The National Library of Medicine says that 20% of hypothermia deaths were from the homeless population. Liz Alverson, the supportive housing analyst for the city of Greensboro, is trying to help change that.
“No person should have to be in this weather and experience cold like this and experience extreme weather like this and not have a safe, warm place to go to,” Alverson said.
To help get people out of the cold, White Flag Shelters have been running since November, opening their doors when temperatures drop into the low 30s.
“This year, our white flag plan is collaborative with the city of High Point and Guilford County. And so when we issue a white flag, those shelters will remain open during the day,” Alverson said.
With temperatures continuing to drop, shelters are experiencing more guests needing to use the space, with some shelters beginning to keep their doors open 24 hours a day to bring people in from the frigid temperatures.
Including the Interactive Resource Center, Greensboro’s day shelter, which is now open 24 hours a day.
“They are opening up their shelter, are beginning the phased approach to opening their day shelter to 24 hours a day for seven days a week. The first phase is going to be Monday through Friday,” Alverson said.
Besides shelters, the city of Greensboro is looking for alternative options to help keep the homeless out of the cold, like the Doorway Program, the state's first temporary shelter community. This is the second year for the small Palete homes that house 56 members of the homeless community from November through the end of March.
“It's really to target individuals who are unsheltered during the wintertime who do not have a place to go otherwise. And so this is really our biggest project to address winter emergency shelter,” Alverson said.
There are 30 shelters on the property containing two beds, and two shelters with one bed that are ADA friendly. The property has security on site and can also be used as emergency shelter in case of a natural disaster.
“That was one of the benefits of purchasing doorway pallet shelters as well is that if we have another 2018 tornado where people need a quick place to go, we can mobilize these and create quick emergency shelter for for folks. So, it's not just to serve the homeless community. That is our top priority. But there's other uses for these as well that certainly if we ever need to have them go up, we can do that as well,” Alverson said.
The National Coalition for the Homeless says around 700 people a year experiencing or at risk of homeless are killed from hypothermia in the United States.
“It's just giving them the dignity and the respect that any person deserves to have, to not have to stay in the cold. So it's important and people should care. No one, you know, no resident of Greensboro and no resident of Guilford County shut down the streets, because they have nowhere to go or don't have a warm place to go to get out of the weather,” Alverson said.
She says the city is continuously looking for other ways to keep the homeless population not only out of the cold, but also the heat, and encourages those to look at the city’s social media and website to help pass along the word of shelter.