During Cold Snap, Project HOME Employees Work Hard To Make Sure Homeless Have Shelter
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Crews are out looking for the homeless who are at risk spending the night in these extremely cold temperatures.
Laura Weinbaum with Project HOME says in extreme weather conditions, shelters add additional beds and crews go out to find the people who need to utilize them.
"Typically what happens is that we bring on additional outreach workers and outreach teams for around-the-clock-coverage. People who are listening should definitely call our hotline if they see anybody (sleeping) outside, 215-232-1984.
She says hundreds of people sleep outside in Philadelphia on any given night.
"I'll say our lows in the Center City area tend to be in the 200's, maybe 300's and our highs tend to be as high as 500 or 600 during really great weather."
But during extreme cold or hot temperatures, she says it's rare to see folks outside:
"I mean, I think there's kind of a primal instinct in all of us, a sort of a self-preservation thing that tends to make people come in during periods of extreme cold."