Volunteers driving around Colorado Springs, bringing people experiencing homelessness out of the cold
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- Today we followed volunteers as they picked up the un-housed people before the temperatures dropped to the single digits. They made several outreach stops and also dropped off many un-housed to heating shelters.
We joined them as they made their rounds throughout El Paso County.
Hope COS works with churches and Springs Rescue Mission to help the un-house find a heating shelter during these cold winter nights.
Sed Keller has been taking calls from people asking to get picked up and be taken to a heating shelter all day.
2-months ago Keller began volunteering with Hope COS and hasn't looked back since then.
"It's because I saw the abject need. I mean, when you look these people in the face, these are our neighbors. These are fellow human beings. They are in need. And I could just see the direct need. And the fact that I had the ability to directly act and make a difference," said Keller.
Keller says he's glad that they're out there helping out people.
"I just picked someone up here who was from Tennessee and said that they had never experienced a winter like this. So they're unprepared," said Keller.
Alex Wallace is another volunteer with the non-profit and said he understands what the un-housed population is going through because a while back he was in the same shoes as them.
"I'm a recovering drug addict, an alcoholic myself, and, I, I happened to be homeless at one point in my life," said Wallace.
Wallace said they've been busy for the last 3 days and winter is only getting started.
"It's been a hard January already. Just just with how many days the temperature has been below 20. And, you know, like, these are where we're the only people that these people have," said Wallace.
During the ride along we met Michael Gaede, he's an un-housed veteran. Gaede is grateful to know that tonight he'll have a roof over his head.
"They keep me from freezing to death I had a stroke I’m homeless otherwise I'd be out sleeping outside. And I came in from freezing," said Gaede.
Hope COS will continue to do their outreach throughout these freezing temperatures.