FARGO (KFGO) – Wednesday is the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, and with temperatures again dipping into the negative double digits and Fargo-Moorhead’s homeless shelters completely full, challenges for the unhoused in the community are mounting.
Mark was homeless for years but he got sober nearly a year ago and, since September, he’s been volunteering at the Downtown Engagement Center (DEC) in Fargo.
“It was always a struggle to try to find warm places – especially when it got bitter cold out. I never had a sleeping bag, never had a tent. Either I would get intoxicated and try to end up in detox or talk my way into treatment so I’d have a warm place to stay. But I never ended up in jail – I always tried to stay out of that environment of trouble,” he said.
Mark said he would try to find stairwells of parking ramps or the entryways of places like the Post Office to sleep on cold nights.
John has been homeless since the start of the pandemic, when he was laid off. He said another challenge during the coldest days is having so many people crowded into small spaces like shelters. He said overcrowding can cause tensions to run high and create more problems for the staff of the shelters – especially when people have been drinking or are having a mental health crisis. And, he said, making sure you have and are keeping track of warm gear is critical.
“Every time I lay down a pair of gloves, they’re gone. So I gotta make sure I don’t do that because there’s a limited supply they can come out with weekly for gloves,” he said.
But, John said, there’s also camaraderie to be found. He and his friend Jason were warming up at the DEC on Tuesday.
“Like for instance, I had a can opener, he had some food. But people need to know that I don’t need any return either – ‘hey, if you need to eat, I got a can opener.’ You share what you have and don’t think twice about it,” he said.
John said he carries around extra hats and scarves when he can find them for people he meets out on the street who might not be prepared for the weather. He said he’ll also walk someone to the DEC or help them find a place to stay if they’re new to town or the streets.
It’s been especially busy this week at the DEC, which provides housing and health services, as well as helps meet basic needs like laundry, showers, and a warm place to be during the day for the city’s homeless population. Both John and Jason said they didn’t know what they’d do without the DEC.
Jordan Beyer works as a harm reduction specialist for Fargo Cass Public Health and spends part of most days at the DEC. He said the cold creates extra challenges.
“When the temps drop it can be a little more difficult to keep people safe – especially the folks who are staying outside, not staying in shelters…we’re seeing people still sleeping under bridges and camping out by the river,” he said.
Beyer said the nurse at the DEC helps guests with tips about how to better protect themselves from exposure during the cold and staff keeps a close eye out for guests who might suffering from frostbite or other cold-related injury, offering treatment if necessary.
He said anyone can refer a person or family they believe may be homeless or at risk of homelessness to the DEC, which is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, for help. He said if it is after hours, people should call law enforcement to alert them if they see someone they are worried about or at risk. Beyer said even when the shelter is full, Gladys Ray staff works to find everyone who needs one a safe place to stay.
December 21 is also Homeless Memorial Day – honoring those who have had their lives shortened by the experience of homelessness. An observance is scheduled at First Lutheran Church in downtown Fargo at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The DEC is located across from the Civic Center, in the old police station at 222 4th St. N.
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