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Last November, we posted a story on our Facebook page about Jason, one of our guests who saw another homeless person on the street, unmoving, and called 911. Jason saved his life.

This morning two hours before we opened, one of our guests, “IB,” was walking down our alley to wait for GMC to open and saw another one of our guests, “ST.” There was a problem, though. ST was lying face down on the ground without any blankets. He wasn’t moving. 

Thankfully, IB had a cell phone, realized something was very wrong, and called 911. Paramedics took ST to the hospital, and the officer who responded to the call told us later that ST was almost dead when paramedics arrived. Had IB not decided to come to GMC early and wait for us to open, ST would have probably died from exposure.

We are lucky that our guests watch out for each other and know when to call 911. Of course, we wish that it never has to get to the point of calling 911.

Hypothermia is real. Hypothermia is dangerous. Hypothermia can happen to anyone, and it can happen right in your own backyard.

Please make sure you have the hypothermia hotline (1-800-535-7252) in your phone. Don’t pass by someone on the street and write them off as passed out drunk. Call 911 if you see something that doesn’t look right. Also, be mindful if you are outside how your own body is responding to the cold.

Death from exposure is preventable, but only if we all pay attention and work together.

This has been a brutally winter. The entire city has been working extremely hard to make sure no one dies from exposure this season. In addition to the hypothermia vans and shelters, this year the city started stationing warming buses throughout the city, where the homeless can board and warm up for 30 minutes, 3 hours, the entire night… however long they need. We have heard great feedback from our homeless guests and other providers about the success of these buses.

Still, there are people who are sleeping outside, whose mental illness prevents them from coming inside, or who think they are strong enough to brave the cold, wind, and snow. During the day, GMC staff and our medical team checks on these individuals. However, we can’t often do outreach at night, when people are most vulnerable.

And so, we decided to create a group of volunteers to do street outreach for us when it gets cold and when the weather’s supposed to be bad.

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The 2014 Point in Time survey is scheduled for Wednesday, January 29, 2014, and we need volunteers! The Point in Time (PIT) is an annual, nationwide count of unsheltered homeless individuals that takes place every January. We need volunteers to help us walk around the neighborhood, count, and survey unsheltered individuals.

Volunteers will be split into teams and led by a team leader and should dress warmly and bring a flashlight if they have one. If you can help the night of the PIT, please let us know!

Here is our schedule for the night:

7:30-8:00pm — Volunteers arrive at Georgetown Ministry Center. We are located at 1041 Wisconsin Avenue in the alley next to Grace Church. Due to construction at one end of the alley, all access to our center is via the alley entrance on 31st Street next to the Capella Hotel. Here is a map for reference. If you get lost, please call the front desk at 202-338-3801 for help.

8:00-8:30pm — Volunteer training will start promptly at 8:00pm.

8:30-9:00pm — A few minutes of practicing administering the survey, followed by breaking up into teams, map distribution, etc.

9:00pm-2:00am — Teams are dispatched. Teams are usually done by 11:30 or midnight and report back to GMC once they are done. The official count goes until 2am, but we’re usually not out past midnight.

Brrrrr! We hope you all stayed warm this week as the polar vortex made us all shiver and bundle up. Hopefully, most of you were able to stay indoors and stay warm.

Many of the homeless population we see at GMC usually stay away from shelters, but for many, it was simply too cold this week. After the first night or two of braving it in the elements, some finally caved and went to hypothermia shelters. Of course, GMC was open all day, every day with an endless supply of hot coffee and sandwiches for our guests.

For those who braved the weather despite the sub-zero temperatures, DC was really proactive and had warming buses throughout the city where the homeless could go, sit, and warm up for a little while throughout the night. During the day, homeless outreach teams also braved the cold– and Georgetown Ministry Center was no exception!

On Tuesday, Communications Director Stephanie and Program Coordinator Amie were out on the street for nearly two and a half hours, passing out blankets and granola bars with Craig Keller from the Department of Behavioral Health’s Homeless Outreach Team. They didn’t think they were going to see anybody, but they still saw several people who were thankful for the blankets.

On Thursday, Dr. Catherine Crosland came to see patients at GMC and afterwards did street outreach for a few hours with Gunther and Amie. They checked up on people for signs of hypothermia and to see if they were doing okay.

The temperature this weekend is supposed to be a balmy 60 degrees, but though it may be warm, the weather is still dangerous since it’s also supposed to rain. And with the mercury bouncing up and down like this, it’s difficult for people to know how to dress from one day to the next.

Thank you to everyone who has helped by donating socks, hats, gloves, and scarves, as well as to all of our volunteers and sandwich donors! We appreciate all of your efforts and dedication to our mission.

Every winter right when it starts to get chilly, Gifts for the Homeless brings us a big donation of cold weather gear. We were overwhelmed with their generosity this November as boxes of thermal socks, thick gloves, knit hats, and fleeces were delivered to our center one afternoon. It was probably one of the first truly numbingly cold days in DC, and our guests were so appreciative. Everyone was able to leave our center that evening with new winter accessories.

In addition to purchasing much-needed items for organizations all across DC, Gifts for the Homeless also runs one of the best winter clothing drives in the city. (At least, we think so!) The 2013 GFTH Annual Used Clothing Drive took place during the week weekend in December, and shortly after volunteers sorted all of the clothes GFTH collected, they dropped off several bags at GMC.

Thank you so much to Gifts for the Homeless and all of your amazing volunteers! We are grateful for all of your support and are inspired by all of your hard work.