The nights are getting longer and the temperatures are dropping along the Front Range. For many this time of year is a blessing, a time to be grateful for the cooler weather and the festivities that mark the calendars. For those suffering from homelessness it can be a time of struggle.
In Longmont, Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement, or HOPE and Agape Safe Haven are working to bring those facing homelessness supplies and materials to meet their basic needs.
In a point-in-time count conducted in January 2020, the state of Colorado reported 9,846 people claiming to be homeless, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness website.
Point-in-time counts are conducted on a single night in January where homeless persons who are sheltered in emergency shelters, transitional housing and Safe Havens on that night. In odd years, a coordinated effort is made at the local level to count individuals who are not housed, according to the Community in Action website.
Regardless of the count, the amount of need seen by local organizations is rising.
“The need for items has grown as we have more unhoused individuals walking up to our Outreach Center at 804 S. Lincoln St. coming to our door for food and supplies. In September, we helped 197 folks this way,” said HOPE Executive Director Alice Sueltenfuss via email.
In February, HOPE provided 72 hours of shelter to homeless individuals. This program is usually only open when temperatures drop below 25F, Sueltenfuss said. The shelter also opened in March for 56 hours straight as snow piles kept busses from running.
Shelter is one of many things needed by homeless individuals as the colder weather approaches. HOPE and Safe Haven are asking the community to consider donating winter clothing items.
Winter clothing items are given to homeless individuals in hopes to keep them warm enough to stave off hypothermia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a report stating 16,911 people died from hypothermia between the years 1999 and 2011. That averages to 1,301 people per year.
Hypothermia — when a person’s body temperature drops below 95F — can set in when temperatures drop between 32F-50F. Other factors such as wind and precipitation can exacerbate the problem, causing a person’s body temperature to lose heat quickly, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Warm layers of clothing can keep the skin dry and create a barrier against the wind while also creating a warm layer of air around the person, the National Coalition for the Homeless website states.
Safe Haven is teaming up with local food truck Biscuits at Mike’s to host a winter clothing drive. Donors can drop items such as cold-weather clothing, boots and jackets into a bin at the food truck. These locations alternate so please check the schedule before heading out.
Safe Haven also accepts donations at its office located at 10656 Park Ridge Ave.
“Our support for our community was a crucial pillar of our business model, we want to be involved in growing and bettering not only our business but our community. So deciding to help Safe Haven was a no-brainer. We want to be involved actively in our community wherever we can. This was a great partnership to allow our community to easily give back,” said Owner Mike Simuns.
“I have been speaking with the co-owner of Biscuits at Mike's for a while now trying to find a way to collaborate with them. I reached out to them a few weeks ago once the cold weather was on the horizon. As the Executive Director of a nonprofit that serves the homeless, I feel it necessary to head out into the community at least a couple of times a week and do outreach with the homeless. It's a great way to invite them back to the Safe Haven shelter where they can shower, eat a hot meal, and wash their clothing,” said Safe Haven Executive Director Jessica Bennett via email.
HOPE too is asking for help this winter. The nonprofit will participate in Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 7. The day marks an annual fundraising event for more than 3,000 participating nonprofit organizations across the state. In 2020, Colorado Gives Day raised more than $50 million in 24 hours, according to the website.
In addition to participating in one of the largest fundraising events in the state, HOPE is also looking for donations of supplies such as winter gloves, cleaning supplies, nitrile gloves and food.
“Our biggest needs because of winter are winter gloves! We never have enough. Our biggest need because of the pandemic is masks, nitrile gloves, and cleaning supplies,” Sueltenfuss said.
