Cold weather shelters open due to extreme weather conditions

Southwest Florida was under a severe weather watch as temperatures reached the low 40s early Sunday morning. The extreme conditions prompted several cold weather shelters to open, helping those experiencing homelessness keep warm in a safe and secure place.

Like many other homeless shelters, Saint Matthews House Shelters took to distributing blankets, socks and hand-warmers. They also stayed open for an extended period.

“Because the long-term weather forecast almost every night was for either cold weather, rainy weather, extremely windy weather or a combination of all three of those,” said Michael Nojunas, the Campbell Lodge Shelter manager for St. Matthews House. “Instead of doing our normal process, which is making that call each night, or maybe for two or three nights, we just decided to prepare for and open the shelter for emergency stay for the entire month of January.”

With temperatures being in the low 40s early Sunday morning, Nojunas said they have seen a demand.

“We’re seeing about five men and five women with children every evening during this cold weather. That’s been about the average each night, some nights it goes up to eight and 10. Each evening, we have had one mother with two young children that has been with us almost every night on an emergency stay. She is on our waitlist to enter the shelter. But unfortunately, there are no rooms available at the time,” said Nojunas.

The Campbell Lodge has seen a significant rise in single, senior women and families applying to stay at the shelter. But there has also been a decrease in single male applicants.

One way to help combat homelessness within your community is through donations according to Nojunas. Shelters across Southwest Florida always welcome donations from the public, as each resource goes toward helping more people who are in need.