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With the temperature headed below zero Tuesday night, Malheur County officials announced they will open a warming center as a refuge for the area’s homeless population.
Officials had said on Monday, Feb. 10, that they lacked volunteers to staff a shelter.
That apparently prompted a surge in calls from possible volunteers, and county officials still were encouraging people to step up to help.
Lt. Rich Harriman, Malheur County emergency manager, said on social media posts Monday evening that the warming center would open at 7 p.m. in Girvin Hall at the Malheur County Fairgrounds, 795 N.W. 9th St. in Ontario. His post said the center also would operate overnight on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The reversal could be a life saver. Hundreds of unsheltered people around Malheur County live in unheated tents, RVs or cars.
“We’re trying to save lives,” said Harriman. “We don’t want someone to expire because of the cold because they’re living outside.”
Dr. Sean Robinson is an associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. He discussed the impact of cold weather on people in an interview Monday before the county announced the opening of the warming center.
“If you guys are in single digits, rallying the troops or getting local government to do something is of upmost importance or you’re going to have some deaths on your hands.”
The National Weather Service forecast that Ontario’s temperature could drop to -1 degree Tuesday night and 3 degrees Wednesday night. Snow is forecast to start Thursday night and daytime temperatures aren’t forecast to get above freezing until Friday.
On Monday, social workers fanned out through homeless camps to assess conditions. They found people needing basic protection against subfreezing temperatures, from winter coats to hand warmers.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
*Girvin Hall warming shelter – Contact Lt. Rich Harriman at (541)473-5120.
*Oasis House day shelter – Contact Tessy Perkins at (503) 798-7931.
*Homeless outreach volunteers – Contact Community in Action at (541) 889-9555.
DONATE SUPPLIES:
Warmers, caps, socks, gloves, trail mix
Community in Action, 915 S.W. 3rd Ave., Ontario. Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
DAY SHELTERS:
*Oasis House, 802 S.W. 5th St., Ontario – Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
*Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living, 1021 S.W. 5th Ave., Ontario – Monday-Friday 9 a.m.—noon, 1 p.m-3 p.m.
“They are in need of blankets, sleeping bags, hand/foot warmers, tarps, wool sox, and gloves,” according to an email from Priscilla Garcia, housing services manager for Community in Action.
She said the nonprofit was buying stocks of those supplies to distribute on Tuesday.
The potential crisis came into public view when Harriman warned by email Monday morning that no shelter would open. He said two volunteer coordinators helping orchestrate recruitment no longer were available and the list of volunteers for shelter staffing listed five people. Last year, Harriman’s team counted on more than 70 people to run the Girvin Hall center in the overnight hours, serving meals, providing supplies and directing people to cots for the night.
Researchers have found that homeless individuals are more susceptible to hypothermia – a drop in the body’s core temperature.
“People suffering hypothermia often have impaired judgment and cannot perceive their own need for shelter or medical care,” according to a report by the National Alliance for the Homeless.
Robinson, the medical professor, said hypothermia deepens as the body tries to stay warm.
“As you get cold, everything slows down,” he said. “As the body starts to shut down, it does its best to preserve major organs. Blood vessels constrict. The body starts to shiver to generate warmth.”
He said the heart rate can slows, impairing flow to the brain and impairing judgment or leading to unconsciousness.
He said individual responses to cold weather vary widely, depending on age and other health issues. He said on average, those enduring temperatures at 32 degrees or lower are “in really big trouble.”
Keeping people dry and out of the wind is critical. He said surviving in a tent in frigid temperatures is “probably doable.”
Garcia said Monday that outreach workers would move through homeless camps from time to time to check on people.
Robinson said care givers should watch for shivering and administer hot liquids such as tea or soup. He said if that doesn’t stop the shivering, that person needs “to get into a warm environment.” He said a call for emergency medical help is signaled when a person can’t use their hands or feet or if they appear confused.
In announcing the Ontario warming shelter, Harriman said it would operate only overnight and provide dinner and breakfast.
“The hours aren’t super convenient for volunteers, but we’re hoping we’ll get enough folks that can help for just these few days. Also, if we get enough volunteers, you may only have to do it one night,” Harriman said in his social media post.
Reporter Steven Mitchell contributed to this story.
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