BALTIMORE — The homeless population suffers the most in the winter months some even dealing with hypothermia or even passing away in the freezing cold.
It's why Baltimore City opens warming centers to give people a place to warm up throughout the day.
“It’s critical, you know from being out there these temperatures are brutal and very very bitter. We really work hard at catholic charities to take care of the needs of individuals. It’s what we do and we’re really honored to have the opportunity to bring people inside during these bitter cold days," says Sue DeSantis.
People like Sandra Johnson who recently became homeless and is unable to walk on her own.
“I have been in this wheelchair, in the rain, in the snow and the cold," says Sandra Johnson.
She says it has been a blessing to find a place where she cannot only get warm, but get a hot meal and a hot shower.
Johnson also says she wishes more homeless people would take advantage of the free care instead of suffering outdoors.
“It hurts my heart to see that on the street even though I’ve never experienced it before this is my first time and its scary to me, you know I would encourage them to come to the nearest one they can get to, to get even in the summer time its still not good. You know all year round you just need to be somewhere where people care about you and can help you," says Sandra Johnson.
It's why the Weinberg Housing and Resource Center participates in the cities winter shelter declaration program.
It allows the facility to add more beds when the temperatures are dangerously low, to house more people overnight.
“I try to put myself in their shoes because I walked in from my door of my car into the door of this building it wasn’t long to walk. Folks are walking these streets and it breaks our hearts," says Desantis.
Warming centers in Baltimore City will be open through January 11th, but that date could be extended if we continue to see extreme cold temperatures.
