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Cold will stretch assistance By SUSAN DEROSIA Ashland Daily Tidings A sudden jolt of cold weather makes it harder to get out of bed in the morning. But for those with no bed, a cold snap makes a hard situation much worse. Jeanne Hallinan of the Interfaith Care Community of Ashland always keeps a close watch on the weather. This week has her worried. The forecast for tonight and Thursday includes a 50 percent chance of rain and lows in the 30s. That means on Thursday morning dozens of people will come to the ICCA's small house on Second Street to find help getting and staying warm. But right now gear for the cold weather is in short supply. "At this point we have no adult jackets, warm socks, tents, tarps, blankets or sleeping bags," Hallinan said Tuesday afternoon. "I'm worried about the cold. People are sleeping outside or in cars. Even some of our clients who do have a place to live won't turn on the heat because they can't afford to pay the bills." Hallinan says help is needed today in the form warm clothing, tarps, tents and sleeping bags. Especially needed are clothes for adult men. The agency serves people in need by offering a few important amenities: a cup of coffee, a place to shower, access to a bathroom, food and clothing and help finding basic emergency services. "Yesterday we had some people who were traveling through here and the son got a terrible staph infection," Hallihan said. "The medicine was $60 for ten pills. We were able to get them the first five so he could get started." ICCA also helps people access sources for emergency help such as the Butler fund, which provides assistance paying a utility bill. Many of the agency's clients are homeless and face Ashland's "no camping" ordinance, putting them in jeopardy of being picked up by the police. Lt. Mike Bianca of the Ashland Police Department said that the police are willing to transport people to one of the homeless shelters in Medford, Gospel Mission or St. Vincent De Paul or to the bus station. If people are really cold they could go to the hospital emergency room or seek shelter at the police department, adding that "some of them would look at the police department as not a welcoming environment." As far as camping is concerned, Bianca said that the police do not go looking for homeless people camping, but do roust them when they're found. "If someone's really visible," he said. "We find out quick." Bianca added that many places where people have camped in the past have changed. "There used to be fertile camping ground in Ashland but so much is getting spruced up. Development is putting a crimp on it. There are fewer vacant lots, fewer overgrown, weedy places." Both Bianca and Hallinan noted the connection between homelessness and mental health. "It's such a screwy setup," said Bianca. "You have to wait until someone's in dire straits." "It's not against the law to be mentally ill," Hallinan added. "It's goofy but it takes a criminal act for us to intervene. Their outreach and crisis response has been eliminated over the years. It's not good." One man, who is currently living in a van, said that the camping ban itself is criminal. "It makes it a crime for them to go to sleep. They've lost their homes. They're depressed. They're scared. I've had homeless friends kill themselves and be killed." The man, who declined to give his name, pointed out what he saw as the irony of the situation on Mount Ashland. "We used to be able to camp on Mount Ashland," he said. "But they told us it was bad for the watershed, so out of respect, we stopped. Now, they're going to put ski trails in there." Another homeless person said, "Basically, the whole point is warmth. A lot of these people are alcoholic, may be doing drugs and they can't get their life together. There should be a place where they can camp, make fires to be warm. If somebody's down and out, it's just not right to not provide an avenue or some real help." For Hallinan, the mental health issue is a key ingredient in homelessness. "I have people say to me, 'Why don't they get a job?'" she said. "These people can't work. They look good. They look healthy." She continued. "But the simplest tasks are too difficult for them to do. These are people who are slipping through our fingers." For the next couple of days, the areas homeless will add bitter cold to the list of challenges they already face. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -