Imagine facing freezing temperatures with nothing but a blanket and a prayer; that’s the reality for some of our Valdosta neighbors.
Valdosta cold shelters will not open emergency cold shelters in the immediate future due to limited resources and increased demand. Roughly 12,000 Georgians experience homelessness each year, and an estimated 700 die from cold-related causes. Watch the video below to see how neighbors have been struggling preparing for winter. As Temperatures Drop, Valdostas Most Vulnerable Face Winter With No Shelter
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I ain’t got nothing. I live outside. I’m just in the elements, trying to survive. Want me to take you there?”
Meet George Griffin.
I first spoke with him about the rising need for food in our community but what he shared next was far heavier.
Griffin is homeless living outside, night after night, trying to rebuild his life after a prison stint that’s made finding work nearly impossible.
When he showed me where he sleeps, he pointed to nothing more than a blanket, a grocery cart, and a patch of grass he calls a pillow.
For Griffin, the cold is just one danger the other is spending the night in high-crime areas, with nowhere secure to rest and no winter shelter opening this year.
In previous winters, LAMP and the city stepped in with emergency warming shelters.
But this year, funding cuts and skyrocketing demand mean those emergency doors can’t open yet, even as temperatures start to dip.
Executive Director Yurshema Flanders says LAMP is committed to helping as much as they can and can use some of their available cots but opening a full overnight shelter requires resources far beyond what they currently have.
“A lot of times, when it comes to other places like churches, there has to be a declaration of emergency from the mayor or the Emergency Management System. Through EMA, they can request help from the Red Cross or Salvation Army.”
Right now, according to the National Alliance in Georgia, 12,000 Georgians like Griffin are limbo as December gets closer and temperatures get lower…
…And 700 of those people will die this year due to cold-induced hypothermia this winer. And in Valdosta, that isn’t just a statistic: it’s a warning.
In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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