‘All of us want help’: Unhoused residents in Clark County prepare for colder-than-normal winter

Residents huddled around campfires to stay warm at a homeless camp along the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail during this week’s cold snap. Two men murmured to each other that the man who laid sick in a nearby tent could use some soup.

“The cold has been almost unbearable,” said Adam Kay, a man who lives in the camp who was dressed in a long-sleeve shirt, neck gaiter and gloves. “Everyone is sick out here.”

In the midst of what’s predicted to be a colder-than-usual winter, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness must combat the elements to survive.

When below-freezing temperatures hit Friday, the Council for the Homeless issued a Severe Weather Alert, opening up additional winter shelter beds and resources to those living unsheltered. Even temperatures around 40 degrees can be dangerous for people living outside, Clark County’s Deputy Health Officer Dr. Steven Krager said.

They have a much higher risk than the general population of developing hypothermia or frostbite due to exposure. Low temperatures can be even more threatening if people have certain health conditions, have exhausted their energy that day or aren’t protected from the elements well enough.

“That’s the concern when we have these longer, prolonged spells of cold,” Krager said. “Warming shelters are a Band-Aid of a solution. But it’s certainly better than nothing, and I hope people utilize them.”

Additional resources

Community organizations have come together to provide 100 additional shelter beds over the course of a week. (They trade off the days they provide beds.)

Many of those organizations are local churches, filling their rooms with beds for nighttime shelter. Living Hope Church and Refuel Washougal offer shelter for walk-ins during severe weather, although neither were open during the alert due to various circumstances such as staffing issues. Outreach teams handed out resources and let people know what shelters are available during the cold front.

The shelter beds also open additional pathways to get into housing.

Council for the Homeless recommends calling its Housing Hotline to get referred to a shelter, but some people in Vancouver’s homeless camps are unaware of the extra beds available during winter.

Even if they did, it’s difficult for them to get there.

Jacqueline Fritz who lives alongside Interstate 205 in east Vancouver said she doesn’t have access to the internet or a phone to call the hotline to get a referral to a shelter.

Her friend Shannon, who doesn’t want her last name used because of domestic violence concerns, said she wouldn’t want to go to a shelter anyway if she had to leave her boyfriend or cat behind.

Dressed in a thin, red hoodie, jeans and sneakers, Shannon wrapped her arms around her body and bounced her legs to keep warm. This will be her third winter homeless in Vancouver.

“People die out here in this cold,” Shannon said. “There is absolutely no way to stay warm.”

Nighttime is especially dangerous for people living outside. It’s the coldest part of the day, and sleep is when the body stops regulating temperature.

“You can start to get confused and disoriented and tired,” said Krager, the county health officer. “And so you may not realize that you are having those early symptoms of hypothermia, go to sleep and potentially die.”

Keeping warm

Earlier this week at the Burnt Bridge Creek encampment, ashes from smoking fire pits rained onto discarded papers telling people they had to move out by Tuesday.

Residents of the camp are used to moving, but during the winter weather, it is more difficult, they said. If they are don’t move in time, the city may take their tents and other possessions.

One man packed and moved his belongings throughout the night Wednesday, when the temperature dropped to 25 degrees. One of the first things he did when he found a new place to live was pitch a small fire.

Many living outside use small fires to keep warm. Krager said that depending on the person, breathing in smoke for prolonged periods can have negative health impacts.

The city of Portland will not remove homeless camps during severe weather. The city of Vancouver does not have this as an official rule, although it usually gives more than 72 hours notice before removing a camp and handles camp removals on a case-by-case basis.

Burnt Bridge Creek Trail camp residents’ trash buildup usually triggers the notices. Even with ample warning, they said, it’s a pain to pack up and move their belongings.

But whether inside a shelter or living outside, people experiencing homelessness still need resources to stay warm and healthy this winter — especially as rain and freezing temperatures are expected later this week.

“They think we don’t want to get help, that we don’t want to leave,” Shannon said.

“All of us want help,” Fritz added.