STORIES

36 degrees. Raining. Wind howling. Blackness of a winter night. My daughter and I are freezing. Nowhere to go. Nothing is open tonight. We have no money. Our coats and packs are wet. Trying to find someplace dry. Walking. Walking. Walking. Searching. Searching. Searching. Wait, the garbage trucks came today. I think I know of an empty place. Welcome to our world tonight. Welcome to our tiny house. We are grateful for it.

During the winter of 2015/2016, there were 140 nights between September 1st and April 10th where the low temperatures overnight were above 28 degrees and below 45 degrees. Most of those nights included significant winds and precipitation. On those nights, when the risks for those persons trapped outside were life threatening, there were no shelter or warming center options available. 140 nights of hell for some of our most vulnerable community members. We can do better.