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Community Corner

Shelter Beds Fill Up as Cold Weather Sets In

Howard County's cold weather shelter has been full all week; Baltimore City accepts overflow.

Empty beds are scarce at Grassroots—Howard County's sole emergency shelter—and this week's extreme temperatures have made space even harder to come by.

"We get more calls [during cold snaps]," said Brian Yost, crisis services director for Grassroots. "We were full today, both in-house and at the Cold Weather Shelter," said Yost on Wednesday. 

In the shelter's seasonal Cold Weather Shelter (CWS) program, Howard County churches house the homeless on a rotating basis. The CWS has been operating at capacity all week, according to Yost, who explained: "We're the only shelter in Howard County."

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Grassroots has seen a lower number of requests overall this season, because temperatures have been warmer than last year, said Yost.

But that changed this week.

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"We talked with a dozen folks today, and gave them referrals," said Yost.

If local shelters are full and no closer accommodations can be found, referrals go to Baltimore City.

"Other counties require [county] residency, but we don't," said Yost. "This is the only other place they're welcome, outside of Baltimore City."

Yost said Baltimore City accepts all requests for shelter under its "Code Blue" weather program.

"Code Blue" is defined as 13 degrees Fahrenheit or below or an equivalent wind chill like the one occurring this week. Other conditions that qualify as Code Blue include strong winds, precipitation for more than two hours, extended cold, and weather "deemed by the [Baltimore] Health Commissioner to be severe enough to present a substantial threat to life or health," according to the city's website.

Before Grassroots sends people elsewhere, staff attempts to assist the person, or family, to find shelter in places that may have been overlooked.

"Part of our job is to help them step back and look for resources—do you have family, etc., [that] you may not have thought of?" said Yost. "We help them figure out all their options.

"For example, they may be new [Howard county] residents from another county and may be eligible to go back there for shelter. We work with other counties to make that happen," said Yost.

If clients have to go to Baltimore, Yost said, "We figure out how to get them there, [to prevent them from] being outside for the night."

This is the ninth season of the CWS program, which began in November and runs through March 25. The program rotates among 16 local churches, each of which hosts the shelter for a week or two. The churches provide not only sleeping facilities but also meals, transportation, clothing, laundry services and volunteers. Grassroots provides on-site staff, program management and coordination.

Last year, 78 people participated in the Cold Weather Shelter program, including 20 children, the highest number in the program’s history.

Grassroots operates a 24-hour hotline at 410-531-6677 for anyone who needs assistance. The facility is located at 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia. For general information, call 410-531-6006 or visit www.grassrootscrisis.org.

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