Super cold night
"I walk the train tracks down there and I see people out there from last night, sub zero degree weather," said Jessie Buckley who is a newly homeless veteran. "So you know, it’s kind of sad."
"It is really cold outside," said Jens Christensen who is the CEO of the Community Kitchen. "It is the kind of cold where people go outside for a few minutes and don’t realize they are getting hypothermia. So in response to that one of the things that we have always done is that we’ve endeavored to open literally 24/7."
The Community Kitchen receives government funding to provide overnight, warm shelter.
"It’s generally 120 to 130 men and women that come in almost any night and we can get up to 150 or 160 on a truly frigid night," Christensen said.
But in the event they are to capacity, the local Salvation Army steps in.
"If there’s any kind of over flow at all they will give us a call and we will open our doors to take in the overflow," said Ken Griffey, Jr. with the Salvation Army.
"Tomorrow I’m supposed to get in contact with a VA rep and their supposed to help me with my housing procedures and everything," Buckley said. "Then on from there it’s the job market. But I’m hearing it’s going to be 15 degrees tonight so I guess I’ll be bundled up in the community center tonight. It’s hard. It’s a very different experience for me, you know. But you learn to adapt and overcome."
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