Mayor Kerry Thomson said Sunday that city officials are being proactive about directing unhoused people in Bloomington to shelters.
Thomson said she was concerned about unhoused communities will handle lower temperatures this week, especially at night.
“It is really, incredibly hard to be outside, even if there are shelters available. So, we are concerned and continue to do outreach to those who are unhoused in our community,” Thomson said Sunday. “The cold winter shelter that some faith communities have put together with volunteers has been open every night.”
Thomson noted that the faith-run shelter is still looking for volunteers.
“They run on all-volunteer power, and you don't need to be associated with one of those faith communities to volunteer. And they are looking for more volunteers,” she said.
Weather updates: Warnings, travel advisories, closings, snow totals
Thomson added that the city warming stations are also open, while shelters that are operational throughout the year are also open. Monroe County is under a travel warning, and schools in Bloomington were closed Monday. Thomson said residents should stay home if they can.
“We can't control the temperatures, of course, and so the streets are really slick and even the plowed streets are slick. So, we are encouraging those who can stay home to stay home,” Thomson said. "And we do know that many have to get out to provide services to our community, and we're grateful to them.”
Forecasts show temperatures will keep dropping through the week.
Read more: Stay home, prepare for freezing temperatures, says Monroe County Emergency Management
Meteorologist Aaron Updike says the snowpack is partly responsible.
“That caused a big impact on our temperatures that actually lowers both the daytime highs and the overnight lows,” Updike said.
“So, we're expecting for Monday night, there'll be a little bit of cloud cover. So, it won't be too bad that night — lows in the teens. But as we get into Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and the clouds, we're looking at single digits to near zero. Near zero on Wednesday night, with wind chill values in the negative teens.”
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