Community rallies to keep homeless safe during cold snap
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- For the past four years, on-and-off, Frank has called the land underneath the Person Street bridge home.
"Everybody's a paycheck away from being homeless, you know," said Frank, an Army veteran who didn't want to identify himself further. "You lose your job tomorrow and everything's gone just like that."
Frank said he's satisfied living under the bridge, despite the frigid temperatures expected to sweep the Sandhills region later this week.
"People say 'There's no way, you'll be cold,' but my tent keeps me warm," said Frank. "They talk bad about us, but we're survivors."
The City of Fayetteville and its partners said this week that there's enough room to shelter all the Franks out there, especially with the addition of a new shelter run by the True Vine Ministries, and supported by the Salvation Army and American Red Cross.
"It was like a no-brainer," said Ernest Jones, senior pastor at True Vine. "I mean we didn't need to pray about it, do anything. The need was there."
Jones' church off Morganton Road will open a 300 capacity cold weather shelter for the first time this week. Jones said the ministry recently met with city officials who told them the need was great on their side of town, which is home to the shopping district that includes Cross Creek Mall.
"We had no idea," said Jones, referring to the shelter need. "Personally, we felt all the homeless were toward the downtown area."
The True Vine shelter -- which will be housed in the church's gymnasium -- will offer cots, hot meals and shower facilities. The service will be open on White Flag nights, which is signified by 32 degree or below temperatures. The church is expected to begin shelter services on Wednesday night.
This is the most recent addition to True Vine's homeless ministry. For years, they've assisted people with food donated through the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Each Tuesday and Thursday, grocery bags of food are distributed from the church's facility off Morganton Road.
"You'd be surprised at how many families need food and stuff," said Vicki Daye, who had to turn to True Vine for assistance in December. "It helps."
Adolf Thomas, a specialist with the city's Community Development Department, said Tuesday there's more than enough shelter space in the city with the addition of the True Vine space. Thomas said "Operation Inasmuch," which provides homeless outreach off Hillsboro Street in Fayetteville, won't be providing overnight shelter anymore, because the need has been taken care of through other shelters.
"It's a blessing they've been able to step up," said Thomas, referring to True Vine.
Jason Smith, a director for the Salvation Army's surrounding counties, said white flag nights do require attendees to submit a quick, free warrant check at the sheriff's office. That's because women and children stay in the shelters.
Smith and city police said it's preferable that attendees check into the shelters by 7:30 p.m.
"But if they come a little later, we won't turn them away," said Smith.
Raleigh
"I'll stay right up at the top of that hill, right in the back of this store, I've got a tent set up there, I've got three sleeping bags," said Johnnie Jackson.
Jackson used to live on Fort Campbell and spent 20 years in the construction business in Raleigh. He moved to Goldsboro a few years ago to care for his ailing mother. He was laid off and when she passed he found himself with no money and not able to get a job.
"I kept applying. I applied for a bunch of jobs in the construction industry. I'm old. The people I knew have all retired or passed away," said Jackson. "Everybody's looking for young guys. So I ended up not being able to get a job so I ended up on the streets."
He now lives in a tent behind Briggs Hardware off Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh. He just recently got a new tent because his old one went up in flames.
"He recently blew up in a fire trying to keep himself warm with propane. He lost everything," said Evelyn Murray, the Director of Bridge Ministries and the CFO of Briggs Hardware.
It's those extreme measures to keep warm that Murray hopes to prevent. Jackson lives on the hill behind her store. He's just one of many living in tents, under bridges, and in parks who she says can't go to a shelter.
"Anyone who is familiar with PTSD knows soldiers can't be in crowds. They're afraid of people. They're always constantly watching their back, and so the shelters bring high anxiety and kick the PTSD into high gear," said Murray. "There's also no Dorthea Dix anymore and without that mentally incapable people are on the streets with no place to go. There are also some with substance abuse problems, but their lives matter too and don't deserve to die in the woods or the streets. Alcohol, of course, decreases your blood pressure and is an extreme risk for temperatures such as this."
Murray is collecting coats, socks, hats, rescue blankets, and hand and toe warmers.
"We have one lady who lives year round inside a bus. We're extremely worried about her because of health concerns and we're laying these hand warmers underneath her blankets to try to give extra warmth," said Murray.
She even has a special pair of black warm boots set aside to give to a woman living in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.
Murray said they have been overwhelmed with clothing donations and other items following our story.
If you would like to donate any cold weather items you can drop them off at Briggs Hardware on Atlantic Avenue.
The store is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you want to drop off items after hours, Murray says people can leave donations near the loading dock behind the store.
Durham
Many in need of warm place to sleep flock to the Durham Rescue Mission. Just Monday night, Rob Tart, the COO of the Durham Rescue Mission, said they sheltered close to 440 people. On the men's campus, he said they are out of beds and pulling out the mats as they pledge not to turn anyone away.
"We've had people out in this weather and they've lost digits, lost parts of feet. There have even been people who died," said Tart.
Even with being over capacity already, Tart said they still plan to send three rescue crews to canvass homeless camps on Wednesday. Those teams will be loaded with hot coffee and pastries. They will be warning people that the temperatures will drop in the teens.
"A lot of times the homeless people don't keep up with the weather and they can get caught kind of flat-footed," said Tart. "The biggest thing is if the community would let the homeless know about the weather and let the homeless know about the Durham Rescue Mission and that they can come here. We will make room for somebody all the time."
The Durham Rescue Mission will provide a place to stay, a hot meal and warm clothing. If you would like to make a donation, just $2.05 will feed a homeless person at the mission.
Click here for more information on the Durham Rescue Mission.
