SAN ANGELO, Texas — Cooler weather might be an inconvenience for the average person but for the homeless community, frigid temperatures might mean a difference between life and death.
Starting last week, the Concho Valley Homeless Planning Coalition began asking for volunteers for its Into the Warmth Program, which provides overnight shelter for those in need.
The program first started last year in San Angelo with hotel vouchers. Now, the organization is partnering with the City to offer an emergency shelter location at the Carl Ray Johnson Recreation Shelter, 1103 Farr St.
"Now what we're trying to do is, 'Hey, this is really happening a lot faster than we were expecting. We're gonna need help with this,'" Concho Valley Community Action Agency outreach and marketing director Sidney Timmer said.
The first freeze of the year wasn't expected until mid-November but ended up happening in the last week of October.
Since then, the coalition has been trying to fill a list of volunteers for the remaining 16 weeks of the program.
The goal is to find churches and organizations to pledge one week of possible shifts ranging from 9 p.m.-9 a.m. weekdays and 9 p.m.- 6 a.m. weekends.
That way, if a freeze occurs, the shelter will be ready to open.
"What we're trying to do is get ahead of the weather and get these volunteers lined up ahead of time so that we can provide training and let them know what to expect and get them a little more equipped," Timmer said. "We're not trying to leave anyone out there floundering."
If two volunteers are at the shelter during each shift, the homeless community should have ample support.
For those who cannot contribute in-person, the coalition is also accepting donations of financial support, water, non-perishable foods, gloves, scarves and new or lightly-used blankets.
According to 2023 Point-in-Time count numbers, there are approximately 198 unsheltered community members in San Angelo, compared to 240 in Lubbock, which is approximately three times as large.
Timmer recognizes the importance of supporting those around us.
"We need to take care of each other if we're going to be a well-rounded community where everybody thrives 'cuz a rising tide lifts all boats," she said. "We wanna make sure that if we were in that situation, we wanna have these resources available so we need to make sure that they are available to the people in those situations."
Go to volunteerregistration for group sign-ups or intothewarmth for individual registration.