Homeless seek warmth, help as temperatures drop in Merced

As nights in Merced drop to freezing temperatures, residents are turning on heaters and seeking warmth in layers of clothing. But for those without a home, braving the cold becomes more difficult.

Latasha Parker, 43, sat outside in Courthouse Park on Wednesday morning with little to guard against the chill besides a light jacket, a beanie cap and a cigarette. Baby Girl, her canine companion, also helps provide warmth, she said.

Parker has been homeless for almost two years. Originally from San Francisco, she moved to Merced while pregnant, following the father of her child, but eventually found herself on the streets, she said.

She spends the nights on benches and sidewalks, frequently moving across town. Come October, she begins to search for thicker clothing and blankets.

She usually can find a blanket and a jacket at the Merced County Rescue Mission, she said. And while she is thankful, sometimes that is not enough.

“I do the best I can, but look, I’m shivering right now,” she said. “Nothing really works.”

She also relies heavily on the goodwill of local residents. One lady, whom she knows only as “Ms. Barbara,” occasionally stops by parks to drop off jackets, bagged lunches and packs of cigarettes for her and others on the streets.

But just like there are good Samaritans who lend a helping hand, she said, there also are “bad” people lurking the streets at night.

“You have to sleep with one eye open,” she said. “We look out for each other.”

Sleeping in groups for protection and body heat, she said, is not uncommon.

Parker said she chooses not to go to the homeless shelter on D Street because pets are not allowed. Wherever she goes, Baby Girl goes, she said.

For the same reasons, she also did not make use of the Rescue Mission’s warming tents that were available last year. This year, no warming tents were set up due to a lack of volunteers and because last year’s tent rarely filled up, Rescue Mission officials have said.

Organizers also have said the warming tents do not get significantly warmer than other tents already used by homeless people.

Phil Schmauss, director of marketing at the Rescue Mission, said good news may be on the way. The Rescue Mission is waiting for confirmation on a facility to be used as a warming center, he said. Schmauss said he couldn’t comment further on which facility might be used until details were worked out.

Schmauss also mentioned that the Rescue Mission, which offers 22 beds for men, is gradually seeing the number of overnight stays increase as temperatures drop. But there are still about two spots available every night, he said. According to this year’s homeless count, there are about 876 homeless adults and 23 children living on the streets in Merced County.

The Rescue Mission is seeking donations of new or gently used blankets that can be used in its blanket-exchange program, Schmauss said.

“Homeless people don’t have a place to store them,” he said. “(The blankets) get wet and dirty. Instead of throwing them away, they can bring them back and exchange it for a clean one.”

Michael Duree, 40, of Merced County said he occasionally uses the showers at the Rescue Mission, but prefers to bear the cold rather than sleep at one of the shelters because of stories he once heard about bed bugs, he said.

“But we need a clean place to stay warm, like a garage or something,” Duree said. “Out here, there’s no way to be completely warm. I have layers of clothes on and I’m still cold.

“You try staying a night out on your backyard; see how cold it gets,” he added

On rainy nights, it’s worse. He said he tries to stay near a building for the protection of a roof but usually gets chased out by law enforcement, he said.

“It’s hard,” he said. “Where are we supposed to go?”

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Homeless seek warmth, help as temperatures drop in Merced."