HELENA — With bitter cold temperatures rolling into Helena, MTN spoke with a social service provider to see what extra steps are being taken to ensure the safety of the homeless in the area.
Our Place is a drop-in shelter open during the day.
They offer support programs, that include help for behavioral challenges and addiction recovery.
They see a steady flow of people daily, especially since the drop in temperature.
“I would say there’s about 15, 20 that come in and out all day. There’s some that stay longer for groups. Some of them come in just for some socialization which is what Our Place is about,” said Theresa Ortega, the Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries.
Because of the recent cold temperatures, Our Place has extended hours to stay open until 4:30.
“So that there’s a direct link to God’s Love which opens up at 4:30 for people to eat, which is a nice collaboration between the two of us so we can keep people off the streets in this weather,” Ortega said.
Our Place, in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Development Council, has a grant for a street outreach program.
“He is around and about all the time. Checking on people. He knows where people are staying, he knows if the weather gets bad where to find people that maybe can’t get up, maybe they’re in a situation that they don’t know what to do and they’re in survival mode,” said Ortega.
They say the outreach coordinator has been successful in getting people to the shelter and treatment facilities.
He also stays in contact with them and helps them get back to the community when needed.
We also contacted the Helena Police Department about the Issue.
With the dangerously cold weather approaching, the Helena Police Department understands the concern for those who are unsheltered. In addition to conducting welfare checks requested through calls for service, officers will be initiating their own checks on individuals. We will work with Good Samaritan and God's Love to try and get those who can't survive the cold, to shelter. If no shelter is available, our only remaining option would be to place the individual into protective custody and transport them to St. Peter's Hospital, said HPD in a statement.
Our Chief Meteorologist has forecast bitter cold and very dangerous temperatures in the coming days.
