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Friday, March 29, 2024

Cold away from home: Gainesville braces for weather

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-853bd8a3-8691-fcd0-1351-8be7b553ebcc"><span id="docs-internal-guid-853bd8a3-8691-fcd0-1351-8be7b553ebcc">A group of passengers wearing heavy jackets and long pants board a Regional Transit System bus on Newell Drive on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. At the time, the temperature was already in the mid-50s and predicted to drop later that night.</span></span></p>

A group of passengers wearing heavy jackets and long pants board a Regional Transit System bus on Newell Drive on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. At the time, the temperature was already in the mid-50s and predicted to drop later that night.

The past weekend was the coldest Gainesville has experienced so far this winter — with temperatures dropping to 25 degrees.

Because of the un-Floridian temperatures, UF students and Gainesville residents have been bundling up and staying inside. Local homeless shelters, St. Francis House and Grace Marketplace also activated their Cold Night Shelter programs.

Ben Nelson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, said even though the temperatures have been low, they are expected to rise this week and in the weeks to come.

“For the foreseeable future, we’re back into a warm weather pattern, so (Monday) will be the last chilly night of the stretch,” he said.

Julissa Rodriguez, 19, said when the temperature dropped this weekend, she was terrified she wouldn’t have warm enough clothes to spend time outside, which she normally enjoys.

“It’s kind of hard because in Florida, it’s really difficult to find winter wear,” the UF family, youth and community sciences freshman said. “So if I can find it, I’ll buy it.”

Rodriguez said she recognizes that homeless people in Gainesville most likely do not have the money to buy winter clothing.

“Personally, I think I’d be really scared to not know where I’m going to sleep and not know where to find any kind of warmth,” she said.

About 80 people without homes took advantage of the program this weekend at St. Francis House, located at 413 S. Main St., said Kent Vann, the organization’s executive director.

The program, which was used three times this Fall, runs between the beginning of November and the end of March, he said. The doors are open to about 90 people each night Friday through Monday and to fewer Tuesday through Thursday.

Due to the organization’s limited staff and funding, only 35 people can stay overnight during the week, mostly women and children.

“The Cold Night Shelter program is set up to house people and protect them from the elements,” Vann said.

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Vann, 55, said the program costs about $19 per person each day, which includes breakfast, showers and laundry. No one was turned away at St. Francis House this weekend, which prioritizes the shelter of homeless families and children over individuals.

“A third of the people in the shelter on any given night are under the age of 10, usually with a single parent,” Vann said.

In order to run the program, Vann said St. Francis depends on outside grants and donations.

“The other strain is financial because even though a certain amount of money is funded through the city, that’s a small portion of what we need to operate (the Cold Night Shelter),” he said.

@molly_vossler

mvossler@alligator.org

A group of passengers wearing heavy jackets and long pants board a Regional Transit System bus on Newell Drive on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. At the time, the temperature was already in the mid-50s and predicted to drop later that night.

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