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The chill that fell over Washington this weekend is more than an annoyance on the walk home from Metro. For the area’s homeless shelters and service providers, cold weather means more strain on their facilities, resources, and time. The List spoke with staff at local non-profits about how winter affects their work.

1. Greater demand on overnight shelters

   As you would expect, more homeless seek shelter in the winter. Thirty-nine people showed up on the first night Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN) opened this winter, November 1. By November 30, that number was 60. Jan-Michael Sacharko says the shelter can hold only 88 adults, with beds for 56 and mats for the rest. The need for overnight housing has steadily risen in Arlington over the last few years, and he anticipates that the numbers will increase this year. When A-SPAN hits capacity, staff coordinates with other local organizations to house the homeless for the night.

2. Attendance at day shelters up

   The drop-in center at Georgetown Ministry Center “was absolutely packed” Monday morning, says Gunther Stern. Stern says this is unusual at the beginning of the month when “everyone gets checks and runs to the motels.” More than 30 people stopped in to for a sandwich, a shower, or to get out of the wind, way up from around ten the day before. John Mendez of Bethesda Cares says the day shelter saw high numbers (25-35) when the temperature dropped.

3. Clothing donations come in and go right back out

   Sacharko says A-SPAN experiences a peak in donations this time of year but can just keep up with demand—the shelter gives away more than 1,000 pieces of winter weather gear a week. “It’s a revolving door,” he says.

4. Street outreach picks up

   Building a relationship with homeless people can take weeks, Mendez says, but the window to gain their trust and get them in a shelter narrows as soon as the cold weather hits. “This is it,” he says. “These people might die next week. Or this week.” Stern says he and the Georgetown Ministry Center staff “really try to make an extra effort” with street outreach now, but “it’s hard for us to get ourselves out there when it’s really cold.” Mendez finds himself doing much of his outreach on his morning commute, taking different routes from the Metro station to the shelter. He’s in his sixth month of trying to engage a particular homeless woman. “I brought her a bag of socks and a bunch of handwarmers,” he says. “She said thank you, which was probably the first time I’ve heard her voice.”

5. Holidays increase need for transitional housing

   LaShelle Richmond of Sasha Bruce House says that demands for their services go up this time of year because of the stress and pressure associated with the holidays. The organization’s clients are mostly families who have lost their homes and are relying on family for temporary housing. When the anxiety of the holidays hits, Richmond says those temporary situations often crumble, leaving families to seek transitional housing or counseling.

6. Report card time means more runaways

   Richmond says school issues affect families all year, but report card time is particularly difficult. More students run away and more families seek crisis counseling, increasing demand on Sasha Bruce House in December.

7. Push for more permanent housing for those who fall through the gaps

   Mendez says about 15 percent of the homeless population is unable to stay in overnight shelters due to chronic or mental illness. “They know they can come here. They trust us,” he says, but Bethesda Cares cannot give them what they need. “These folks need permanent housing.”