Student volunteers work with homeless through severe weather

As temperatures dropped into single digits last week, Philadelphia declared a Code Blue throughout the city.

A Code Blue is called when the temperature falls to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below, or when precipitation is combined with a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services (OHS).

In Philadelphia, there are an estimated 5,700 people experiencing homelessness, with around 950 unsheltered. According to OHS, there were no reported deaths during the 15-day-long Code Blue. OHS and other organizations have provided more services in the city, including opening a “warming center” at the Cione Recreation Center that offered 500 open beds during the Code Blue.

Jess Arends ’20, a St. Joe’s peer minister, volunteers with the weekly service organization Back on My Feet, one of the Philadelphia organizations that has worked to prevent deaths due to the cold.

“The weather is deadly to be outside [in],” Arends said.

Back on My Feet is a national organization which works with people experiencing homelessness by providing important resources and employment opportunities in addition to a weekly exercise regimen, in which volunteers participate alongside those receiving help. St. Joe’s students who volunteer with the organization go to one of two sites: Point Breeze or West Philadelphia.

In severe weather situations like a Code Blue, Philadelphia-based organizations like Back on My Feet and Project HOME expand their outreach programs to help those who are trapped on the street, Arends said.

“Some people think, ‘oh, just giving a coat is enough,’” Arends said. “It matters immensely, but there’s so much more that needs to happen, because this is an issue of injustice that people are experiencing homelessness and do not have a place to live.”

Jake Feiertag ’20, who has volunteered with Back on My Feet since the Fall 2018 semester, said that despite the extreme temperatures, last week’s weather did not keep the organization from their early morning runs. In fact, the organization provided their members with cold-weather gear to make sure they were comfortable in the cold, according to Feiertag.

“One of the things we do with Back on My Feet is that, no matter what the weather, we’re usually out there,” Feiertag said.

Chelsea Costa ’21 began volunteering with Back on My Feet this semester after returning from the Winter Immersion Program, during which she served in homeless shelters in Los Angeles and learned about the organization from people she met there.

“I just wanted to be in spirit with them even though we’re not in person with them,” Costa said.

Costa now runs at the Point Breeze location with other St. Joe’s students in the Weekly Service Program.

In the event of a Code Blue or other severe weather conditions, individuals who encounter a person experiencing homelessness outside can call the Homeless Outreach hotline to help that person get to a shelter.

However, Arends said, it is also important to gain that person’s consent before calling for them.

“Sometimes you might want to approach consent in that, to not take away someone’s choice in [getting help],” Arends said.

The Homeless Outreach hotline can be reached 24 hours a day at (215)-232-1984.

Emily Graham ’20 contributed to this story.