1 year ago
54
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Central Valley's chilly evening temperatures are posing a situation for Fresno’s stateless assemblage looking to enactment warm.
On Monday, stateless advocates protested extracurricular of the Ted C. Wills Community Center against the city’s guidelines for erstwhile to unfastened warming centers. In a solution adopted successful 2023, the metropolis states that warming centers volition run erstwhile the extracurricular temperatures drops beneath 35 degrees betwixt 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
“They should person the warming centers unfastened connected a regular ground due to the fact that close present it’s raining and it’s cold. Everybody I cognize is getting sick,” Tiffany Bittner said.
Tiffany Bittner is homeless. She precocious learned that the metropolis offers warming centers astatine 3 locations.
“I conscionable recovered retired astir them. But different than that, I conscionable stayed extracurricular and froze,” Bittner said.
She joined dozens of stateless advocates extracurricular the Ted C. Wills Community Center, protesting the city’s guidelines to unfastened warming centers erstwhile it's beneath 35 degrees outside.
“The modular that they person set, it's not right, 35 is inactive cold, thing nether 50 is inactive cold,” Fresno High School pupil Gisselle said.
“Thirty-five degrees cannot beryllium the lone criteria. Keep them unfastened much consistently done the wintertime arsenic they were successful the past truthful the unhoused cognize that they tin number connected determination to go,” Dr. Farah Karipineni said.
Councilmember Miguel Arias was besides astatine the protest. He said it’s not conscionable the stateless that request these assemblage centers.
“Right present we person astir 30 seniors who are enjoying the assemblage center. We besides person to counsel each the younker programing that happens astatine these centers during and aft hours whenever we crook to warming centers. So the effect of expanding warming centers is besides terminating oregon pausing younker programs and the programs for the elderly,” Arias said.
Arias says the metropolis has gone retired of its mode to accommodate the unhoused.
“All the autobus lines are unfastened for free, for the unsheltered coming in. We adjacent let them to bring their pets connected the buses and their belongings connected the buses. So we've made it arsenic elemental arsenic possible. But astatine the aforesaid clip we are besides present making restrooms and showers disposable crossed the metropolis for free,” Arias said.
Arias says much radical should usage the city’s resources, though surrounding neighborhoods wage a price.
“The past clip that they were unfastened astatine that temperature, we lone had astir 4 to 5 radical successful each warming center. What you didn't spot contiguous is immoderate neighbors advocating for it due to the fact that it does summation the transgression successful the vicinity erstwhile it becomes a warming center,” Arias said.
