It’s all hands on deck as Frederick’s shelters band together to get those in need out of the snow and into someplace warm. Frederick received nine inches of snow in the storm, which included sleet on Sunday, and temperatures reaching as low as 12 degrees during the evening.

Nick Brown, executive director of Beyond Shelter Frederick, said the days ahead of the snow storm were a time of outreach to Frederick’s unhoused community. Volunteers went out across the county to ensure people in need knew they had a place to stay.

During cold weather conditions like these, local organizations work together to ensure 24-hours of indoor access for those in need, Brown said. For some organizations, like the Frederick Rescue Mission and the Salvation army, this means operating warming stations throughout the day.

For other organizations, like the Frederick Rescue Mission, it means providing people with a hot meal. Beyond Shelter itself is also ramping up its own services, in preparation for an influx of people looking for beds at night. “We definitely want to expand this building…but thankfully we are able to absorb just about anybody that comes to us,” Brown said.

Relaxing Rules

While children are sure to enjoy the snow day, Brown explained the unhoused population are at a heightened risk for frostbite and hypothermia. When you add substance use into the mix, it can become a lethal combination. “There’s a concern that they’re going to use, whether in a campsite, whether on the street, [and] pass out and succumb to the weather,” Brown explained. “So that’s one of the reasons that we want to have a very low barrier, and in fact we actually take some long, hard, fast-standing rules off to accommodate.”

Shelters in Frederick do occasionally have to trespass people, Brown explained, with the most common causes being violence or threats to the safety of the volunteers or other shelter-goers. During the winter though, these rules can be relaxed for the safety of people out in the elements.

Brown said they want to give people a lot of second chances. If a problem occurred in the past, but doesn’t occur again, then Beyond Shelter may decide to readmit an individual. Ultimately, the safety of those in the shelter must be protected, and Brown explained violence isn’t tolerated.

Families in need

Services for families with children operate differently than for unhoused individuals. While Brown explained there hasn’t been an influx in unhoused families this year, Beyond Shelter still engages a system of triage whenever children are involved.

If there is a path a family can take that keeps them out of the shelters, Beyond Shelter helps the families find it. In some cases, this means helping a family afford transportation to a relatives house, or helping find a place for the children to stay. In other cases, it may even mean temporarily putting a family in a motel, Brown said. “Did we exhaust all other options before that person touched the street,” Brown asked.

For those looking to help their unhoused neighbors, Brown said the best option is to reach out to local organizations and nonprofits. Whether that be in the form of donating food or winter clothes, or volunteering time at a shelter.