Local organization is helping homeless population fight the cold
The Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition opened its warming station Friday evening. It provides a place for Columbus' homeless population to come get warm for a few hours and enjoy a hot meal.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition opened its warming station Friday evening.
It provides a place for Columbus’ homeless population to come get warm for a few hours and enjoy a hot meal.
Susan Garton, president of the organization says they opened early due to the incoming bad weather.
“Our warming station that we have opened this time is going to be an offensive move for next week. So we did open it a little bit early, a day early, and that is just so we can really do some assessments on people and make sure that they are protected from the really bad weather that is coming,” Garton said.
Their goal is not just to warm and feed those who come to them while also trying to find them a solution.
“We do have a lot of people that come in this time of year just seeking refuge from the natural elements. They really want to get warm, they want people to listen to them, and sometimes they are not necessarily homeless but they do not have electricity. So we need to figure out a way as a community to better their situations or, even if they are homeless, we need to find a way to get them shelter for not just the winter but the seasons to come,” Garton said.
And the coalition could use the community’s help. Garton said they are in need of volunteers at the station.
“At this point, with us just now opening the warming station, we really need volunteers. We have got food covered, we have tons of blankets, but we really need toiletry bags and volunteers,” Garton said.
The warming station is expected to be open on days the temperature is below 35 degrees beginning at 5 p.m. at 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
