by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
According to local meteorologists, the new year will greet area residents with easily the coldest temperatures of the current winter. In fact, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s lows in the low 20s will be some of the coldest mornings in a long time.
For many that may mean an extra blanket on the bed, a good excuse to pick up some firewood on the way home or a mid-afternoon cup of coffee.
For others — the homeless of the area — there are limited choices and the Downtown homeless shelters are their best option.
Gregory Watts is the Chief Operating Officer at the Sulzbacher Center. He said the staff is well aware of what kind of temperatures are looming and provisions have been made.
“We will prepare a little more,” he said. “We will put portable heaters under our pavilion. Last year, we rented the heaters. This year, we purchased two of them. They run on gas and they put out a good amount of heat.
“They are gassed up and ready to go.”
One of the more popular gathering places for the homeless is Hemming Plaza. The City-owned public park is directly across the street from City Hall. Suzie Wiles, the City’s chief of communications, said the City is aware of how cold the area will get late this week. However, City officials will not encourage the homeless to seek shelter.
“As you know, City government funds the Sulzbacher Center and other providers,” said Wiles. “It has gotten cold here before and one way or another, people do understand when the weather changes dramatically.”
Wiles said the City doesn’t plan to issue any kind of weather report and encourage the homeless to vacate any City property in favor of a shelter.
Watts said the Sulzbacher currently houses 304 guests and the shelter is at capacity. As the temperatures drop, Watts said he expects a fair number of people to show up who may not otherwise seek refuge from the cold.
“What we do is open the library and put down mattresses so people can stay on a temporary basis. We will also use the dining area if we need to,” said Watts. “We can fit 34 in the library and the same in the dining area.”
According to Watts, the extra guests won’t be a burden on the kitchen staff or the Sulzbacher Center’s supply of food.
“We have never run into a problem feeding people,” said Watts, adding he will add staff as needed. “We are ready for it.”
The Clara White Mission is another large Downtown shelter that feeds and houses the homeless. Clara White President and CEO Ju’Coby Pittman could not be reached for comment.