Cold snap fills homeless shelters across Sonoma County

Sonoma County’s new emergency cold weather response plan was triggered for the second time this winter on Wednesday, prompting extra efforts to protect hundreds of homeless people from frigid temperatures that were set to linger into Thursday morning.

Homeless advocates and service providers were working overtime, manning warming stations at Santa Rosa’s Homeless Service Center, handing out blankets and warm clothing and serving warm drinks to homeless people, who are at extra risk of hypothermia in such weather and can die from the cold.

By 9 p.m. Wednesday, more than 70 people already had dropped by the center to get out of the cold, including 34 who planned to spend the night.

“We’re slammed ... we’ve had staff working around the clock,” said Jennielynn Holmes, director of shelter and housing for Catholic Charities, which launched the county’s emergency program this year.

Lows overnight Wednesday were expected to be the coldest so far this week - in the 20s and 30s across the region - with temperatures set to climb slowly after sunrise Thursday.

“These freezing conditions are following the cold front and extremely strong winds that moved in from Oregon to Northern California on Tuesday night,” said Bob Benjamin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The last time we saw these temperatures was in 2008.”

Sonoma County debuted its emergency weather response system for the homeless population last month when a storm front slammed the county, dumping more than seven inches of rain in some areas the first day.

County officials and local homeless services providers have been slowly developing the “Code Blue” weather program since last December, when a run frigid nights left homeless advocates scrambling to keep homeless people warm and safe. The plan is similar to other emergency efforts in that it provides extra resources that would not otherwise be available.

In addition to warming stations, the county’s “Code Blue” program also allows for additional capacity at homeless shelters. That expansion, however, has been somewhat hindered due to limited space at temporary shelters, which are already at capacity, according to Holmes. The county has not opened other emergency sites, including temporary shelters at county veteran halls and churches.

The plan also included the launch of a 24-hour cold weather hotline that allows homeless people to call and request help and an emergency pickup. The hotline - 707-800-2927 - is also open to those needing to report cases of homeless people in danger from the weather.

A Code Blue alert is triggered when temperatures dip below 38 degrees, or during other prolonged cold, rainy and windy conditions that pose a threat to homeless people.

The cold weather plan was established in November and features Catholic Charities as the coordinator, alongside county departments, including health and community development agencies.

Holmes said since the county first declared a cold weather emergency on Dec. 26, the number of people seeking services has steadily increased. On cold nights, between 70 and 80 people flock to the Homeless Service Center at 600 Morgan Street to stay warm, find clothing and blankets and perhaps a meal.

“We’ve had a lot of very vulnerable people come through - many with severe mental illnesses, some with significant disabilities,” Holmes said. “It’s very alarming.”

Cold weather services for the homeless have grown significantly since last winter. There are three times as many heaters and an additional 80 beds total at two shelters - Samuel L. Jones Hall in downtown Santa Rosa, as well as the Family Support Center, at 465 A Street.

Demand has quickly filled emergency beds, however, and supplies of clothing and blankets are dwindling as quickly as they are replenished, Holmes said. Donations of warm clothing, blankets and socks are being accepted at the Homeless Service Center.

An estimated two-thirds of chronically homeless people suffer from some type of disabling health condition or illness. The cold greatly exacerbates those problems and can often be fatal, county officials said.

Last year’s homeless count identified 4,280 homeless people in Sonoma County. An estimated 3,300 of those individual were living without emergency or long-term shelter.

Over the course of a year, nearly 10,000 people will experience homelessness, according to county officials.

Last winter’s cold snap also led to the creation of the county’s Safe Parking Program, which provides 60 parking spaces at seven sites throughout the county, including church parking lots. Hot food and drinks are also served at those locations. People seeking a safe parking spot are advised to stop by the Homeless Service Center, where Catholic Charities workers will assign them a spot.

Sonoma County’s broader effort to address homelessness has grown this year, with an infusion of money from the Board of Supervisors and the Santa Rosa City Council. Supervisors have allocated more than $1 million for an expansion of homeless services, including the development of a first-ever outreach team started work this week. Workers are combing creek paths and other homeless encampments to find hard-to-reach people and sign them up for services such as health treatment and housing placement.

County officials acknowledged the crisis posed by last year’s cold weather jumpstarted much of the effort.

“We found out people were dying in Santa Clara County because of freezing temperatures, and people who were living along the river and creeks in Petaluma had died,” said Supervisor Shirlee Zane.

Zane said the county is continuing to identify ways of helping the homeless during cold months while seeking long-term solutions to homelessness.

“The idea of anybody being homeless in this freezing weather is atrocious, so we need to do everything we can to shelter people and keep them safe in this cold,” Zane said. “But we need to find a permanent fix, and the way to do that is to build affordable housing.”

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.