Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
The shelters usually are ready to bring people in from the cold from Dec. 1 through March 15.
By LEON M. TUCKER
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 22, 2000
As an earlier-than-usual cold snap blew through Pinellas County on Tuesday, some homeless shelters were caught off guard and did not open despite overnight temperatures dropping into the low 40s.
"This kind of caught us by surprise," said Cliff Smith, co-coordinator for the Cold Night Shelter Program for the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless. "The cold night shelter program's dates are Dec. 1 through March 15. Having this cold weather before December is unusual, so we weren't ready for it."
With the cold temperatures Monday night triggering the opening of Hillsborough County shelters, the National Weather Service called for lows in the 30s and 40s in northern Pinellas County early today.
"It's going to be unseasonably cold," said Dan Sobien, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. "You're going to see wind chills in the upper 20s (this) morning. For Thanksgiving morning, the winds are going to be a little lighter but temperatures in the upper 30s are more than possible."
The homeless coalition conducted a survey in January showing there are approximately 1,575 homeless people on the streets of Pinellas County at any given time. Many of them, Smith said, do not use traditional shelters year-round.
Shelter operators say regardless of the weather, it's tough for them to open before Dec. 1.
"It's all volunteer and you rely on what they're willing or able to do," Smith said. "If it were going to be (freezing), we would call them up and plead with them to get it ready. Hopefully, the other traditional shelters will be able to take them in."
Last night First United Methodist Church of Tarpon Springs, 501 Tarpon Ave. E, made its 25 beds available at 6 p.m. after volunteers heard the weather forecast Sunday.
"The minute we hear about a cold front they decide," said Jan Bryant, who helps coordinate the shelter. "I had been watching (the news) and saw that it's supposed to be cold so I called my team Sunday."
Bryant said the team sprang into action to turn the church's outreach center into a shelter. Getting beds ready, buying groceries and preparing a meal of beans, weiners, vegetables and macaroni and cheese were all on the list of chores divvied up to get ready for the homeless.
This morning, Bryant said, the church committee will decide whether the weather is severe enough to continue for a second night. The decision also hinges on how much response is received Tuesday night.
"There were times last year when we had four guests and other nights where we had 22 guests," Bryant said. "But the first night is usually slow because we've had trouble getting the word out."
According to the coalition, there are four cold-weather shelters in Pinellas County scheduled to open Dec. 1, with an additional location available when space is needed.
The shelters are: Northwest Presbyterian Church at 6330 54th Ave. N in St. Petersburg, with 50 beds; the Turning Point at 1801 Fifth Ave. N in St. Petersburg, with 75 beds; Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church at 110 S Fort Harrison Ave. in Clearwater, with 100 beds; and Beacon House at 2151 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, with an additional 25 beds if needed.
For more information, call the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless at 464-8410.