Extreme cold presents life-threatening challenges to unhoused population
MINNEAPOLIS -- The extreme cold presents life-threatening challenges to Minnesota's unhoused population.
"Definitely people can die in this kind of cold for sure," said Margaret King, Catholic Charities' Senior Division Director for Housing Stability. "We're doing everything we can. We have outreach teams like 24 hours a day."
King says their shelters have been packed with hundreds of people a day, a snapshot of the macro situation.
"In Hennepin County alone, there's I think 1,600 beds of shelter for adults, and they're, generally speaking, full every night," she said. "Ramsey County's the same."
Last year, nearly 500 people were found to be living unsheltered in Hennepin County. Finding them can be a challenge, but in weather like this, becomes a priority.
"In Minneapolis there's outreach agencies that go out in the middle of the night, in the coldest part of the night, and look for people and bring people survival gear, so they're working around the clock," King said. "But they can't find everybody. It's just dangerous."
Metro Transit Police has a Homeless Action Team to help with this work.
In a statement, a spokesperson said they're "asking staff to be extra vigilant in looking for people who may need assistance...Individuals who need a warm place to stay will not be turned away if they are unable to pay a fare, but we do not waive fares or encourage the use of buses, trains, or transit facilities as shelter."
"The solution to homelessness is housing, and that seems trite to say it so simply, but it really is as simple as that," King said.
She says housing quickly stabilizes other aspects of unhoused people's lives.
Organizations like Catholic Charities rely on donations to help with their outreach. If you'd like to help, click here.
