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Annual sleep-out to aid homeless Tuesday Nov 1, 2016 at 4:23 PM Nov 1, 2016 at 4:23 PM By Julie Akins for the Mail Tribune With an average low temperature of 33 degrees in Ashland in November, few people would want to sleep outside, even in a tent. Factor in wind and rain (about 3 inches typically fall in the month), and the number shrinks even more. But for those on the homeless spectrum, cold and wet weather is a nightly dilemma.  To raise awareness about what homeless people face, the nonprofit group Options for Homeless Residents in Ashland will hold its third-annual sleepout Saturday, Nov. 5, at the athletic field of the former Lincoln Elementary School at Beach and Henry streets.  The group encourages people to sleep outside for one night to better understand homelessness and the challenges facing those who are not housed. If a person can’t do that, they can make a pledge to sponsor someone who can.  “Last year people told us that spending a cold evening out, which was not exactly recreational camping even in a tent, gave them real insight into the sense of insecurity that the homeless experience,” said OHRA board member Ginny Sagal. “They described it as humbling.”  Last year the the sleepout raised $23,000. Money raised by the event will go to the Ashland Community Resource Center to help homeless people, according to OHRA. Money raised last year went to house 42 families, while 63 families received rental or utility bill assistance, and 14 people secured employment. The group claims 723 people received help through the Resource Center. The sleepout also is intended to show solidarity with people who don’t have a roof over their heads.  Homeless shelters in Ashland are open Mondays through Thursdays from November through April at a rotating series of locations. The city opens an emergency shelter when overnight lows are expected to drop to 20 or below. The city of Ashland recently increased the cap on the number of spaces available at Pioneer Hall — from 30 to 42 — when it's used as an overnight shelter. There are no permanent shelters, and the facilities that provide space on the coldest nights of the year do so only as an emergency measure. No one offers a seven-nights-per-week option.  Mayor John Stromberg opened Pioneer Hall for the homeless during a recent storm, fearing heavy rain and high winds could be dangerous for people sleeping outside. Stromberg's action changed precedent regarding the 20-degree mark, and the mayor said he hopes it will open up more options for the homeless throughout the winter.  The sleepout event will run from 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, to 8 a.m. Sunday. Volunteers are being sought to help set up and break down tents. For details, call 541-708-0511, see homelessoptions.org, or stop by the ACRC office, 1908 Ashland St. — Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.