With a Winter Storm Warning in effect from Jan. 20 – 21 and temperatures dropping, winter weather will heighten risks for San Marcos’ homeless population, emphasizing the need for available resources.
According to the Point-In-Time (PIT) count, there were 246 homeless people in Hays County as of January 2024.
One organization that assists the homeless population in San Marcos is Southside Community Center, located at 518 South Guadalupe St. The city of San Marcos collaborates with its Code Enforcement to alert the unhoused population of inclement weather and Southside to provide resources.
Jessica Cain, Southside’s liaison for Neighborhood Engagement and Community Partners, discussed some of the features available at the site.
“We provide a bed, blankets and a pillow for anybody who comes to us. We have dinner before the shelter is open, and we have breakfast, that kind of finishes out the shelter time,” Cain said. “There are snacks and drinks available throughout the night, we set up a TV, folks are able to plug in their devices, all of that kind of stuff.”
Southside’s normal operating hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. – noon and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., while its winter shelter is only open when the temperature is lower than 35 degrees for at least three consecutive hours or when there is combined cold weather and precipitation. The winter shelter is open on Jan. 18, and will close when temperatures reach a safe level.
“I think the emergency shelter has given our community a place to be safe, and either warm during the winter, or cool during the summer in temperatures that are, honestly, dangerous. People die all of the time from being out in the cold, or being out when it’s too hot,” Cain said.
Southside primarily houses single men in its emergency shelter. Families and single women are provided hotel rooms for easier management and more privacy, according to Cain.
In Cain’s experience, the most difficult task for the homeless population is simply locating a safe area to stay.
“Just finding a safe place to rest, even, is a huge challenge for the homeless community when the weather gets bad in any way,” Cain said. “Hot, cold, rainy, all of that kind of stuff would be the number one thing.”
The Homeless Outreach Mitigation Emergency Center (H.O.M.E) works to provide permanent solutions for the homeless population.
During inclement weather, the group also heads a collaborative initiative with the Red Cross and Hays County Veterans Services Office to pass out emergency kits to homeless people who will be outdoors.
“We work primarily with veterans and with people who have severe disabilities; we can provide temporary emergency shelter while we’re working with them to get them into some other program that can provide long-term shelter,” Hannah Durrance, co-founder of H.O.M.E said.
As of 2024, H.O.M.E had over three dozen families and individuals enrolled in their program.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, located at 624 East Hopkins St., also made heaters and winter clothing available at their physical location to accommodate for the shift in weather.
The organization provides clothing and food for the homeless population through a donation-based program. Tom McDonald, a volunteer at the church, explained how their outreach program works.
“We take in donations, and we give them away free; food, clothing, and it’s all dependent on the amount of donations we get,” McDonald said. “They come in and fill out an application, and it’s all dependent on [their] needs and what resources we have available that we can help them with.”
The cold front is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday with a low of 20 degrees and a chance for snow, with temperatures increasing back to a high of approximately 54 on Thursday, Jan. 23.
