January 09, 2025
Roz Pichardo/Sunshine House
The Sunshine House on Kensington Avenue provides resources to people who are homeless and have substance use disorders. The organization says it has been packed with people seeking shelter during the recent cold spell in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia outreach groups say they have been working together to help people on the street amid a blast of frigid weather that is expected to continue through next week.
"We're uniting," said Roz Pichardo, who runs Sunshine House, a resource center on Kensington Avenue for people experiencing homelessness and addiction. "When one organization falls short of something, the other one will step up and support."
Sunshine House has been staying open for extended hours so people can take shelter from the wind and cold. An all-volunteer organization, Sunshine House served nearly 200 people Wednesday. Help from other harm reduction organizations, such as Angels in Motion and Prevention Point Philadelphia, have been crucial in maintaining her operations, Pichardo said.
A Code Blue has been effect in Philadelphia since Jan. 2. The city enters into a Code Blue when the temperature feels near or below 20 degrees due to wind chill, or when rain or snow falls while the temperature is 32 degrees or lower.
The National Weather Service forecasts highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s and teens for the next seven days. On Thursday, winds with gusts up to 40 mph made it feel like temperatures were in the single digits.
As of Thursday, approximately 8,000 people had visited the warming centers the city opens during a Code Blue, according to the Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services. The city has 3,000 shelter beds every night and adds about 300 more beds in the winter. The OHS has made an additional 100 shelter beds available during this Code Blue declaration.
The Everywhere Project, a harm reduction organization, hosts two outreach events each week — Saturday mornings in Kensington and Wednesday evenings in LOVE Park. The group has been running its mobile services every night during the Code Blue and has distributed approximately 400 blankets, 500 coats and 500 pairs of shoes over the past week. The outreach teams also have been giving out more hot meals and hot drinks to people on the street, "trying to get body temperatures up," Operations Director Thomas Frey said.
People can get shelter beds by visiting city intake centers or calling the city's homeless outreach team. But often people without phones or computers have trouble accessing city services, Frey said.
"People in the street really don't know where (shelters and warming centers) are, and how are they gonna get there?" Frey said.
Some people would rather stay outside, hide in vacant buildings or ride the subways than go to shelters for a variety of reasons, including safety concerns and fears of going into withdrawal for people who use drugs, Frey said.
Most shelters do not allow people to go in and out during the night.
People can call the city's Homeless Outreach Hotline at (215) 232-1984 to get assistance for themselves or someone on the street or visit a city intake center.
The Sunshine House is accepting coat and blanket donations. People arrange donations by calling (267) 804-7166 or emailing Sunshine House. The Everywhere Project also is accepting donations and volunteers. More information is available on its website and Instagram page.
