PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — In the 35 years the Pinellas County Cold Night Shelter Program has been in existence, it’s safe to say there’s never been a winter quite like this.
What You Need To Know
- Cold night shelters operating at lower capacity due to pandemic
- A lot of volunteers have signed up to help during the holiday season
- Homeless people in Pinellas COunty can get a warm meal and place to sleep at the shelters this Christmas
- Shelters are asking for monetary donations
“We lost two of our shelters because of COVID-19. Two churches that were a shelter can’t be shelters this year because they’re closed,” said co-coordinator Cliff Smith.
The pandemic is taking a toll on groups like the Homeless Leadership Alliance - from extra costs due to sanitation procedures, to losing manpower.
“We’ve lost volunteers because a lot of our volunteers are seniors and they’re vulnerable and they can’t come out. They can’t be exposed,” Smith said.
When a strong cold front rolls into the area on Christmas night, the six shelters they oversee will be operating at 50% capacity to allow for proper social distancing.
Northwest Presbyterian Church, one of the cold weather shelters, normally houses 80-100 people.
Due to social distancing, they will only be able to accommodate 40-50 people this weekend.
Despite the setbacks, volunteers are making sure Pinellas County’s homeless get a warm meal and place to sleep this Christmas.
Despite the madness, there’s a glimmer of hope in the holiday spirit.
“Because it’s Christmas, a lot of people called and said I want to volunteer. I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas than serving people in need,” Smith said.
The Homeless Leadership Alliance is still in need of volunteers this weekend.
The group is also accepting monetary donations.
To help them out contact Lauren Wolf (727) 754-3927 or Cliff Smith (727) 698-1809.