Elche City Council has set up a unique strategy to protect homeless persons who don’t routinely utilise the Conciénciate Foundation’s nightly shelter from the cold. This plan was put in place by the Emergency Services department and the Social Action department working together. The Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has predicted that the temperature would drop to 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) and that the wind chill would plummet to 1 degree Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) early on Saturday morning, Novemver 22nd. This is why this action is being taken.
Celia Lastra, the Councillor for Social Action, said that the municipal protocol is put into action “whenever temperatures drop below 5 degrees, because it is the responsibility of this City Council to make sure that no homeless person spends the night without a safe place to sleep when their health is clearly at risk.”
The Overnight Centre, which usually has 60 beds, will now boost its capacity without restriction, making sure that everyone who needs it may have it. The service will be available from 5:00 PM to 1:00 PM the next day. There will be a place for dogs, a place to charge devices, lockers for personal items, baths, and laundry, as well as dinner and breakfast.
Every night, volunteers from the Foundation, the Red Cross, and Caritas will go around and provide people sleeping bags, hot drinks, and rides to the centre.
The Conciénciate Foundation will send teams of volunteers to patrol the city at night to find people on the streets and offer them sleeping bags, hot drinks, and the chance to go to the Overnight Shelter. This is in addition to the additional personnel at the facilities. The local police will help with these attempts to help and support.
The Red Cross has also made its presence felt more on the streets. They started telling homeless individuals about the impending dip in temperatures during their routine outreach yesterday, taking precautions ahead of time. This afternoon, they will continue their rounds to give out sleeping bags, coats, blankets, and hot drinks to people who are still on the streets. They will also tell them about the shelters that are available, including the overnight shelter set up by the Conciénciate Foundation.
Caritas has also joined this effort. For the past week, they have been giving out warm clothes to anyone who asks through their shower and breakfast service, which runs Monday through Friday. It has also given out blankets, and since yesterday, its centre has had central heating for the coldest periods of day.
Councilwoman Celia Lastra said that the City Council will keep an eye on the weather all weekend. “If the weather stays this cold tomorrow, we won’t hesitate to put the emergency plan back into action. She ended by saying, “The most important thing is to keep the most vulnerable people safe.”
Author: Derek Appleton
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