With temperatures getting ready to drop even further Friday night and into the weekend, local organizations are working together to protect Columbia's unhoused community. Temps are expected to remain below freezing and could reach single digits.
“Throughout this cold spell that we're having and as it continues, the shelters in the city have been working together better than ever," said Room at the Inn Manager John Trapp. "Nobody has been turned away for lack of shelter. At Room at the Inn, people who show up there and know that if they can't get into our shelter, we transfer to Turning Point or Harbor House and so far we haven't exceeded capacity."
Trapp said there have been some cases of people needing medical care because of the cold, but fewer than in years past.
“I think we've seen a decrease in problems from frostbite because Como Mobile Aid nurses, when people do get frostbitten, they're getting treatment, whereas in previous years they weren't getting treated,” he said.
Trapp said he's appreciative of the city’s growing efforts to protect the unhoused community, but hopes that they can expand these protections outside of the most severe winter temperatures.
“The city is doing more now than they've ever done in the past," Trapp said. "We've got the emergency warming center at Turning Point. That's a huge step in the right direction. My only wish is that we would open at warmer temperatures. It currently opens when it's going to be 25 or below. I would like to see that increase to 32 degrees.”
To find local shelters or warming centers, visit https://www.como.gov/featured/warming-center-shelters-available-this-winter/
