Did you know that more people experiencing homelessness die during the summer than in the winter? Sounds counter intuitive, doesn't it? However, a study in the Philadelphia area a few years ago found that slightly more than 50% of deaths related to weather occurred during the summer months. When you stop to think about it for a moment it begins to make sense.
Cold, freezing weather draws much attention and occurs during the winter holiday season when more people are looking for charitable opportunities. Many communities respond with overflow emergency shelters and other ways to get people indoors.
During the summer we tend to think that its easier for people to be outside if they have to and because so many of us are vacationing, the plight of the homeless is less on our minds. But the dangers during the summer are real. For over a week now, Charlotte has experienced temperatures in the 90s with heat indexes often above 100. Orange ozone warnings have been the norm. This means people with respiratory and other physical ailments should limit outdoor exposure. So many of the men we serve have heart and lung conditions, asthma, physical disabilities, and bodies worn down from years of abuse and exposure. The hot weather adds another impediment to lives that are already difficult enough.
So far this summer, the Men's Shelter has been averaging close to 500 men per night. Over the Memorial Day Weekend we served 583 on one night alone. This is one reason the Men's Shelter has pledged to maintain at least 500 beds of shelter year round. We need your support to keep these beds available. Check out our website http://www.mensshelterofcharlotte.org/ to donate online and see how you can volunteer. Spend a bit of your summer vacation helping someone in need.
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