FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Some of the most vulnerable on this frigid weekend in South Florida are those without a place to shelter from the cold, but advocates and organizations are helping get the word out about an imminent, potentially record-breaking cold snap.
Shelters in Broward and Miami-Dade counties were trying to make room in order to get as many people in as they can before those temperatures start to drop to a dangerous level.
“Even though you got knocked down, doesn’t mean you can’t get back up,” said William Hope with New Hope Corps.
But it’s even harder to do that while sleeping in freezing temperatures, homeless outreach workers said, and this weekend is promising to be brutal.
“Quite candidly, it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation. We have very dangerous temperatures coming to our community,” said Ron Book with the Homeless Trust in Miami-Dade County.
For those who work with the homeless, it’s all about getting people inside.
In Miami, 7News cameras captured Hope signing people up to do just that.
“I myself went through the shelter system when I was 2 years old, 6 years old, and then again when I was 9,” he said. “People don’t understand that these are just people like we are.”
And in both Broward and Miami-Dade, those with nowhere to go will be especially vulnerable.
“As the temperatures continue to go down, people begin to realize, ‘Hey, this is getting too cold for me,’” said Patrice Paldino with the Broward County Housing Division.
Space and shelters in both counties is limited, but staffers are trying to make as much room as possible.
“So we bring in extra cots so that we can bring in additional people over the regular capacity of the shelters, to bring in as many people as we can off the streets,” said Paldino. “We provide blankets, hats, scarves. Today we’ll also be providing some hygiene kits so that people are prepared.”
“We are continuing to work this morning, this afternoon and into the weekend to make as much capacity as we can, so that no one that wants to get off the streets is on the streets,” said Book.
Book said Florida Power & Light is donating hats, gloves and other items for them to hand out there for people who may not be able to get to a shelter.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox