Anyone who has lived in San Diego for a while probably has a hard time when it gets this cold outside.
Temperatures down into the 20’s in the foothills, the 30’s in the valleys and the low 40’s near the coast. Just thinking about it can make a San Diegan shiver. Spend a lot of time outside when it’s this cold here and you can feel it down to your bones almost.
Yet for several thousand people in San Diego this morning, that’s exactly what happened to them. Because they spent the night and early morning outside, in the cold, on a sidewalk covered in a blanket or two, or in a park next to some bushes or propped up against the wall of a downtown building.
They are the thousands of homeless for which there is no room at the inn or shelter or anywhere else.
The three new temporary bridge shelters in the East Village, Barrio Logan and the Midway district can only house a few hundred people. Sand even with the San Diego Rescue Mission and some churches that open their doors, there are nowhere near enough places to go for the homeless each night.
And on nights and mornings like we’ve had the last couple of days, it can not only be hard to take being outside in this cold and sometimes rainy weather, it can lead to illness and even death for some of the homeless who may not be as hearty as maybe some others.
So while San Diego has made progress on the homeless problem, we have a long way to go. Think about that as you head to work or school this morning and complain about the cold.
(Photo credit Getty Images)