BOISE, Idaho — An estimated 789 people were experiencing homelessness in Ada County, according to the Idaho Housing and Finance Point-In-Time Homelessness Count conducted in January 2024.
As temperatures drop heading into December, people without shelter face even greater challenges in health and survival in the extreme cold.
With freezing temperatures and unstable winter conditions posing life-threatening risks, local nonprofits are working tirelessly to assist the growing number of unsheltered individuals.
Hypothermia and frostbite are some of the most worrisome serious risks during the colder months.
Frostbite often goes unnoticed as numbness masks the severity of the damage, and hypothermia is considered a medical emergency, but both conditions should be treated immediately.
Interface Sanctuary is a local shelter that provides many resources to the unhoused community, but Executive Director Jodi Peterson-Stigers said they are always at capacity.
"If there is an available bed, we have a waitlist to help someone move inside, but we can't serve everyone," Jodi Peterson-Stigers told KTVB Friday.
Another nonprofit leader, Don Ruffing, president of Low-Income Support, patrols the city at night in the winter when temperatures drop to 20 degrees.
His organization checks on individuals and distributes supplies to help people living outside stay warm.
Peterson-Stigers said all of the work the non-profits do is about keeping people alive.
"We utilize a military tent that our facility director Buzz winterizes. He puts heaters in there. We get army cots and really safe sleeping bags, and we can serve an additional nine men," Peterson-Stigers said. "Then our recovery program is a portable office on the backside of the property, where we overflow an additional five women into that space. That's it."
Idaho Homelessness Impact, a separate group founded by a local high school student, also provides support by offering warm meals, clothing, and 200 free resources online for the homeless community.
“Sleeping outside and in parks is not really an option,” said Abby Keith, founder of Idaho Homelessness Impact. “Not getting sleep, getting two to three hours of sleep, and then facing hypothermia. There a bunch of diseases that are spread rapidly throughout the day shelters in the winter.”
Our Path Home has developed a Seasonal Extreme Weather plan that includes emergency sheltering, health services, and other supplies for survival.
Corpus Commons, formerly known as Corpus Christi, remains the city’s only daytime shelter, providing food, showers, and a place to rest for anyone experiencing homelessness.
As demand for resources grows, the local shelters and nonprofits are calling on the community to help.
Many organizations are seeking donations of warm clothing, blankets, funds, and volunteers.
Interfaith Sanctuary expressed a dire need for more volunteers. They also have their upcoming Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza on Dec. 15 and 16 which is a major fundraising event for the organization.