Homeless Shelter Supervisor Makes Hard Decisions During Bitter Cold
DENVER (CBS4) - As temperatures start to drop Denver homeless shelters are trying to make sure nobody is left out in the cold.
The homeless shuffle into the Denver Rescue Mission when the sun goes down on bitter cold days, and it can be a lifesaver.
"I know if I had to sleep in my car, I would probably freeze to death," Robert Ponce said.
Ponce is homeless right now, but knew he was lucky Saturday night as he had one of the 200 bunk beds at the mission. In the chapel another 100-plus stretched out on floor mats -- anything to escape the cold.
"It's tough when you see people who have lost fingers or body parts from frostbite and that kind of thing," Shelter Supervisor Lenny Ford said.
Ford knows he has several tough days ahead caring for men who may have mental health issues, depression, dementia or substance abuse problems. He sometimes has to remove difficult people to protect others, and it's not a decision he wants to make.
"If a person is being extremely disruptive, if you ask them to leave, that could be a matter of life or death when the weather is extremely cold," Ford said.
Ponce is grateful the mission is helping him recover from a broken marriage and depression. He's also safe from harm on the streets.
"There are people who would gladly rob you just for the shoes off of your feet," Ponce said.
Ford said he prays for people who decide to tough it out in the cold.
"I just ask the Lord for the wisdom for us to make the right decisions to dealing with everyone we have to deal with here," he said.
There is a network of shelters in Denver. They say they talk to one another to try to figure out where to put all of the homeless people.
