Weary Wanderers Wary of Winter?

We've been lucky this year. It hasn't been quite so cold in Wisconsin. Sure, it dropped down to zero degrees one day this year, but it's mainly hovered around the teens and twenties.  Today, it got up to 40.  I gladly shed my parka and trotted down University in just a t-shirt and unbuttoned cardigan.

That being said, the mild winter has surely been a blessing to the over 3,000 people who stayed in homeless shelters (admittedly, the most recent numbers are from 2010).  Of those who stayed in shelters, 20% said they had slept outside or in a car the night before.

So is a warm winter something to be happy about if you're homeless?

I don't know that I have the answer, but I did go on a ride along with a University of Wisconsin Police officer this past weekend.  I asked Officer Waite about homelessness in Madison, and she said that it could certainly be a problem. Complaint calls that come into the station, and the officers are responsible for checking on the situation.


The problem, she continued, is that shelters turn away homeless people who have been drinking. Some homeless people decide that giving up the alcohol isn't worth the shelter they would gain.  Over 1,000 homeless people are turned away from shelters in Madison each year for various reasons.

In 2004, a brochure was released stating that there are 100-200 homeless people in Dane County on any given night, with greater demand on shelters during the summer months.

Summer??

With the harsh winter climate in Wisconsin, I was shocked.  But then it started to make sense. It's the "snowbirds" effect - when the weather gets cold, homeless people may migrate south.

Those who don't are left to face harsh climate changes.  People sleeping on the streets may face hypothermia and frostbite, says the National Coalition for the Homeless, which can cause permanent injury or even death.

In October 2011, as the weather turned cold and the trees began to disrobe, shelters were "forced to reject women most nights" according to Street Pulse, Madison's Homeless Cooperative Newspaper.

And many low income families lucky enough to get a spot at Porchlight, a Madison community housing building near UW Campus, were displaced in January due to a fire on the property.  Of those who were able to go back, many lost all of their belongings.

Winter may be mild this year, but that may mean in influx in Madison's usual homelessness population if less individuals are migrating to warmer areas this year.  But mild doesn't mean warm and, let's face it, this is still Wisconsin.

Walking down State Street the other day, I passed a dune of fabric.  The knitted cap, grubby coat, and yards of floral fabric encapsulated a man, grimy, looking downtrodden and cold.  I walked a little further, giving little more than a cursory glance, and entered into the golden glow of Noodles and Company.  After ordering a bowl of chicken noodle soup for the chilly evening, I forked over my five bucks and left, soup in hand. I walked back to the mound and muttered, "It's cold out.  Keep warm, ok?" and placed the brown bag in his gloved hand.  He didn't look at me, grunted a bit, and put the bag off to the side.  I quickly walked away...mostly unsure of myself or what I should do in this situation.  Should I have stayed to talk to him?  Should I have asked him his life story, as a journalist?  Maybe.  But on that 15-degree night, all I could think about was getting back to my too-warm apartment and making some watery Campbell's chicken noodle soup for myself.

This isn't a story for a pat on the back, or for praise at all.  It's a story that hopefully makes one more person acknowledge that homeless person on the street.  Instead of looking down and running by when they ask you for change, look them in the eye and smile.  "Not today, sorry," I'll say.  Hey, I'm living off of loans myself.  But every time, they smile back and say "thank you."  A smile goes a long way, and it's nice to be recognized.

Punxsutawney Phil may have said there's six more weeks of winter, but it sure doesn't seem like it.  With the beautiful weather outside, should sleeping outside be a viable option for the homeless community in Madison?  Should Wisconsin's government step in to help resolve some of the burden on shelters?  And what should be done to protect the safety of Madison's homeless, as well as the community at large?