GREENSBURG, Pa. — As Mother Nature tightens its grip on our region, a cold snap is expected to settle in by Thursday night, sending temperatures spiraling into the single digits.
“We’ve actually experienced an uptick in calls that started coming in with the snow this week,” Dan Carney, executive director of The Union Mission, said.
The Union Mission teams up with other non-profit and grassroots groups in Westmoreland County to help those in need with cold weather shelter services from November through March.
“We’re able to provide additional shelter space for not just folks who are homeless but those that might not have heat or other amenities to stay safe,” Carney said.
Any time the temperatures drop below 25 degrees, warming shelters like the Mission in Latrobe and Welcome Home in Greensburg open their doors.
While the Union mission is at capacity, they say there are alternative resources to keep people from being left in the cold.
“We have extra space here through cots that we can use, and the pandemic has affected the ability to do that and have as many here, so we also offer services to connect people to short-term hotel stays while we’re bridging the gap,” Carney said.
The pandemic has only exacerbated the need for this service.
“We’ve seen huge changes in housing demand for folks. We have an uptick in homeless volume, people struggling to pay their rent and nervous about becoming homeless, struggling to pay utilities and facing shut offs, so in this cold weather season … making sure we have a roof over their head and heat really are important,” Carney explained.
Calling 211 is the easiest way to get help — whether it’s for a place to stay or other resources related to heat and housing.
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