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High demand forces staffing issues at Hillsborough and Pinellas County cold shelters during cold front

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Published  January 23, 2025 11:04pm EST
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FOX 13 News

More shelters open for lingering cold snap

FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports that the long stretch of cold passing through Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties has led the shelters to have trouble staffing cold weather shelters in the respective counties because of the high volunteer demand.

The Brief

    • The Bay Area is experiencing a prolonged cold stretch, with many residents struggling to find warmth.
    • Cold weather shelters have opened in Hillsborough and Pinellas County and have remained open throughout the prolonged cold stretch.
    • The shelters struggle to find adequate volunteers to staff them due to the unusually high number of hours they need to work.

TAMPA, Fla. - With many families not able to make ends meet and turn the heat on or live without a permanent roof over their heads, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties have opened up their cold weather shelters for its longest stretch on record.

Cold shelter being set up.

Cold shelter being set up.

Men and women lined up early for a shot at warmth on Thursday afternoon as volunteer leader Dale Saville opened the doors at Hyde Park United Methodist Church to let them in.

READ: Part of Bay Area under freeze warning Friday morning. Here's how low temperatures could drop

Bay Area cold shelters

Dig deeper:

The Tampa church is one of Hillsborough County’s largest shelters, out of five cold weather shelters, and is now open this week. 

Inside a cold shelter.

Inside a cold shelter.

"Normally, we would have a single night anomaly in terms of cold weather. Here, we’re in a sustained period. This is our fourth night of cold weather," said Dale Saville. "Friday’s going to be the same. Saturday may even be that. So, we may be looking at as many as six consecutive days of cold weather."

Local perspective:

It’s the longest stretch that Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties have had its cold weather shelters open. 

READ: 2 detained after Zephyrhills High lockdown one week after man arrested for attacking teen in bathroom

"For every night that we are open, there is an average of about 15-16 paid team members and over 100 volunteers every single night that we activate," said Victoria Kelly, the senior manager of Advancement Strategy at the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas.

Helping the community

Why you should care:

Kelly said they really depend on community support at a time like this. 

"When we're looking at a five-night activation like we are right now, we are really calling upon those volunteers to come night after night or to recruit their friends to come and take a shift when they can't," said Kelly. 

So, it can be a challenge to stay staffed up at any shelter. 

People outside of a cold shelter.

People outside of a cold shelter.

"It’s taxing because part of the volunteer thing is not just setting up here. But we have volunteer monitors from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., 4 a.m. to 7 a.m.," said Saville. "So that’s a pretty tough shift in terms of coming in at 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. or whatever." 

Some volunteers like Kay Saville step in when possible, handing out blankets and sharing a kind word. 

"They needed help tonight, so here I am," said Kay Saville, Dale’s wife. "This is what the church is all about in terms of making God’s love real."

What's next:

The shelters are open to the homeless population and people who live in underheated homes.

The Hillsborough and Pinellas County shelters will remain open Friday night, and they are also keeping an eye on Saturday temperatures.

The Source: FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo collected the information in this story courtesy of Dale Saville, Kay Saville, and Victoria Kelly.

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