Cold Winters!
• Deaths from hypothermia and homeless living conditions were reduced to zero in 2008
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha photo courtesy Tania Ho
Your assistance makes a
An initiative of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Faith Community
Difference
Winter Weather Threatens Life
Interfaith Community Shelter Group P.O. Box 22653 Santa Fe, NM 87502
One of the delights about living in Santa Fe is the cold, crisp, clean air that we enjoy when the ground is covered in snow. The Plaza and the Farolito Walk are enchanting at Christmastime, and those of us who enjoy skiing or snowshoeing are thrilled by the first heavy snowfall. Just this last winter, we had three major storms, each of which dropped almost a foot of snow, and the mantle of white the City wore for so long added to its beauty.
Unfortunately, there are many people in our midst for whom the cold weather is not so welcome. Just imagine that you were one of the 1500 homeless adults, according to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, living in Santa Fe throughout the year.
Our average nighttime low from November to the end of April hovers between 16°-32°F, most of that time being well below freezing. Imagine that you were sleeping in a doorway, in an arroyo or even a truck or car without adequate warm clothing, footwear or bedding. Death by hypothermia can occur when body temperatures drops only 10°F, so it is easy to understand why more than 25 deaths directly or indirectly attributed to homelessness occurred in Santa Fe in the winter prior to the formation of the Interfaith Community Shelter Group.
Unfortunately, there are many people in our midst for whom the cold weather is not so welcome. Just imagine that you were one of the 1500 homeless adults, according to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, living in Santa Fe throughout the year.
Our average nighttime low from November to the end of April hovers between 16°-32°F, most of that time being well below freezing. Imagine that you were sleeping in a doorway, in an arroyo or even a truck or car without adequate warm clothing, footwear or bedding. Death by hypothermia can occur when body temperatures drops only 10°F, so it is easy to understand why more than 25 deaths directly or indirectly attributed to homelessness occurred in Santa Fe in the winter prior to the formation of the Interfaith Community Shelter Group.
Home | Mission | About Us | Board of Directors | Cold Winters! | News | City Support | Pictures | How to Help | Jobs