Frigid temps draw attention to homeless

Centers see more contributions

For the second weekend in a row, the wind chill factor in much of Oakland County will drop the temperature to around 0 degrees.

Apparently, as people climb into their warm beds at night and pull the covers up, they think of those who can’t.

Local organizations that assist the homeless report an uptick in monetary donations and other offers of help since the cold snap began.

While it’s appreciated, advocates for the homeless want people to think about the challenges of being homeless year round.

In the summer, homeless people sleeping outside deal with heat, humidity and mosquitoes, said Elizabeth Kelly, CEO of Helping Oakland’s People Everyday, which operates the 62-bed HOPE shelter and a smaller facility for homeless people being released from hospitals or who need help recovering from a medical condition. Both facilities are in Pontiac.

“It’s an ongoing problem and not just when it’s below 20 degrees,” Kelly said. “If people donated all year long and just gave a little bit each month, that would make a huge difference. It would be game changing for everybody.”

The HOPE shelter, 249 Baldwin St. in Pontiac,

operates in a converted church in one of the poorest ZIP codes in the state, Kelly said.

Before the pandemic, the shelter could exceed its bed capacity slightly and allow a handful of people to sleep in chairs, she said.

The shelter never turns anyone away, especially in these frigid conditions, and has made arrangements with a motel in Auburn Hills to take a few people as necessary. HOPE also refers people to other homeless facilities, particularly those with children, since it takes only adult men and women.

Grace Centers of Hope,

also in Pontiac, reports an increase in financial gifts and other offers of help since the frigid weather began, even though it does not operate a facility where homeless people would come to seek shelter from the cold.

Instead, Grace focuses its efforts on a one-year residential program that teaches life skills that prevent homelessness and a two-year aftercare program.

In addition to monetary donations, the cold temperatures have prompted people to give blankets, socks, gloves, coats and other warm clothing, which is appreciated, said Michael Odom of the public relations firm Marx Layne & Company, a spokesman for Grace Centers of Hope.

“Sometimes they come

with the clothes on their backs,” he said.

HOW TO HELP

• Monetary assistance is the best way to help the HOPE shelter, Kelly said.

• The organization isn’t taking clothing at this time.

• Because of the pandemic, HOPE is unable to accept meals that aren’t individually packaged. Area restaurants frequently serve boxed meals in the evening. Financial gifts help fund those meals.

• The shelter’s residents always appreciate letters and cards and other expressions of love and care.

• For more information, visit HOPE’s website, hopewarmingpontiac.org.

• To learn about helping Grace Centers of Hope, visit gracecentersofhope.org.