CHICAGO — As a bitter cold settled in across the city Friday, volunteers handed out blankets, hand warmers, hot food and other necessities to people staying in winterized tents at a city homeless encampment. In one case, a shivering man in a T-shirt and other light clothes was restocked with heavier wear and two heaters.
Volunteers, outreach groups and city workers spread out across the city as extreme cold temperatures took hold, raising concerns about the danger to unsheltered people and other vulnerable populations. Gusting winds blew snow across roadways and brought the wind chill down to 35 to 40 degrees below zero Friday morning.
“For folks experiencing homelessness, it’s always a risky proposition to be living on the streets, regardless of the weather,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “But when you factor in what we are experiencing now ... it makes it even more unsafe for them.”
