Funding for sheltering the homeless on freezing cold nights is running low.
After 45 nights of sub-45-degree weather, the Alachua County Housing Authority has about $600 and the St. Francis House has about $8,000 remaining in their cold weather budgets.
Kent Vann, executive director of the St. Francis House, said depending on how many cold nights this week brings, money will probably last the shelter about two more weeks.
Gail Monahan, executive director of the Alachua County Housing Authority, said many families who have been evicted come to her for shelter.
“I think one of the most frightening things for me is we’ve housed 20 children,” she said. “We have never housed children before.”
City Commissioners will vote on Jan. 20 to give more money to these shelters, and the Alachua County Commission will vote to match the amount the city appropriates.
The St. Francis House, which is budgeted for less than $11 per extra person, has housed 1,643 people from November to January. The Alachua County Housing Authority, which is given about $30 per person, has put about 84 people in low-cost motels.
Rodney Long, Alachua County commissioner, said that he hopes the necessary funding passes as soon as possible to make sure shelter for cold nights continues.
“It is going to be extremely cold up until March or April,” he said. “We cannot have a tragedy in our community.”
