Bay Area Homeless Struggle To Keep Warm During Chilly Weather
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The recent cold snap has San Francisco's homeless trying anything they can to stay warm.
When the mercury dips into the 30s and 20s Robert Lewis tells KCBS he has a trick.
"I used to go to the library and they have this hot vent right in front of the library that a lot of the homeless guys would go around, but sometimes the police will come and kick you out," said Lewis.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
Wes Johnson, who has an extra warm hat to cover his ears, said he's a regular at the Goodwill.
"Sometimes they have tents that they just give away to homeless people," said Johnson. "So that's where I go sometimes if I need a sleeping bag, like if it rains really hard or something."
These men all seek protection from the elements in the more than 1,100 shelter beds available in the city. The interfaith winter shelter program is now up and running, where churches provide additional shelter for the homeless through February.
"We collaborate with the Department of Public Health which funds the services for the mobile assistance patrol van," said Joyce Crum, program director of housing and homeless division. "If they are interested in obtaining a shelter bed, we dispatch the van that will pick them up, and take them to the shelters where we have vacancies."
The van runs 24 hours a day year round for the homeless, and is kept especially busy on cold nights.
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