# How do homeless people live in very cold areas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2009, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591 "2009-10-21T10:50:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/21 "2009-10-21T16:00:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > They could save up and buy a bus ticket to a warmer area but I doubt many do that. So, they could leave Canada altogether? Good luck crossing the border without U.S.citizenship or possibly documentation, even if you could scrape enough the fare. ETA: And that’s not a snark at you **Bijou** it’s just a comment that some folks are really _stuck_ in cold climates. It amazes me that more don’t die. They do have “cold weather warnings” here in Toronto and they ask the general public to call a special number to report homeless people in need of assistance. They’ll drive out in a van and try to convince them to go to an emergency shelter. There was a news report a couple years ago and one of the van volunteers was visibly upset about the death of a woman well-known to volunteers who _always_ refused to go to the shelter. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/22 "2009-10-21T16:02:43Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > or panhandling or stinky or sleeping or using the rest rooms to full body wash. in many places it has gotten disruptive enough to people using the libraries for the books that the codes of conduct have become more specific. they then can be kicked out by the staff and face arrest if they return and persist. school kids come in numbers after school and can find no chair or table space left available. > [@Kalhoun](#): > > I’m sure it’s not nearly as disruptive as, I dunno…BEING HOMELESS. What do you suggest they do if they can’t get into a shelter? if a good use for the libraries is a day shelter then the city could save lots of money by not buying all those books. one reason shelter are for night only because you are more vulnerable to cold while sleeping and the thought that the people would try day work. many public and private shelters do allow people to stay during the day if the weather is hazardous. some churches will open up for day warming in hazardous weather. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/23 "2009-10-21T16:16:02Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > According to Scratch Beginnings, about a guy who decided to spend a year “homeless” (he actually saved enough to move into a place after a few months), starting with the clothes on his back and $25, there are a lot of resources available to the homeless such as vouchers for thrift stores, free coats, etc. which can’t hurt. > > Rob many motivated and able homeless can make their way better. a minimal not easy existence but physically and psychologically better. it might just be being able to get a high energy store bought meal, warmer clothes or be able to stay in the more expensive private shelters or flophouse. certainly many homeless are disabled in some way, some by their own actions. thought i’ve found that there is a huge amount of young single homeless that want to be that way because ‘i’m my own boss’ attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/24 "2009-10-21T16:27:47Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I’m sure it’s not nearly as disruptive as, I dunno…BEING HOMELESS. What do you suggest they do if they can’t get into a shelter? Believe me, the homeless don’t wait for bad weather to pack the libraries. The library down the street from me is a _de facto_ homeless shelter at all times. You can never get a seat there for all the homeless people crowding the tables. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Handsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Gus\_Handsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Handsome)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/25 "2009-10-21T16:27:59Z")
Old Cajun Man: Home is where you make it. Joe Dirt: You like to see homeless naked? Old Cajun Man: No, no, no. Home. It’s where you make it. Joe Dirt: Yeah, you like to see the homeless naked. That’s cool. Old Cajun Man: No! Home is where you make it! Joe Dirt: Oh. Old Cajun Man: Everybody knows that. God damn, boy. Old Cajun Man walks away. Joe Dirt: Guy likes to see the homeless naked, that doesn’t help me. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/26 "2009-10-21T16:41:05Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Believe me, the homeless don’t wait for bad weather to pack the libraries. The library down the street from me is a _de facto_ homeless shelter at all times. You can never get a seat there for all the homeless people crowding the tables. When you get places like Las Vegas and other places that make it impossible for a homeless person to sit (i.e., no benches, no sitting on the ground), there’s really not much else for them to do if they want to take a load off. It’s a terrible problem. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/27 "2009-10-21T16:44:17Z")
Las Vegas outlawed sitting on the ground? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/28 "2009-10-21T17:16:30Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Las Vegas outlawed sitting on the ground? Yup, at least that’s the case in the old section. There were no benches and we sat on the ground after walking for hours. A cop came up to us and told us it was prohibited. Keep movin’. It’s due to the homeless situation and they don’t want them sleeping in the tourist areas. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/29 "2009-10-21T17:47:25Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Yup, at least that’s the case in the old section. There were no benches and we sat on the ground after walking for hours. A cop came up to us and told us it was prohibited. Keep movin’. It’s due to the homeless situation and they don’t want them sleeping in the tourist areas. Many of Las Vegas’ homeless have [crafted their own rather unique (and dangerous) solution](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8239319.stm) to that problem though. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/30 "2009-10-21T17:56:32Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Many of Las Vegas’ homeless have [crafted their own rather unique (and dangerous) solution](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8239319.stm) to that problem though. Jeeez…just like the NY underground. Absolutely astonishing what goes on in the homeless subculture. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/31 "2009-10-21T18:07:09Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Yup, at least that’s the case in the old section. There were no benches and we sat on the ground after walking for hours. A cop came up to us and told us it was prohibited. Keep movin’. It’s due to the homeless situation and they don’t want them sleeping in the tourist areas. But it’s okay to have a hundred barkers for prostitutes per square yard all up in your face and trying to give you pornographic advertisements for their hookers? No need to clean _that_ up? I don’t even want to think about what it must cost to clean up the hooker-card litter every night - it’s gone by morning, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/32 "2009-10-21T18:09:32Z")
The hooker card people are just trying to earn a living!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/33 "2009-10-21T18:18:32Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > thought i’ve found that there is a huge amount of young single homeless that want to be that way because ‘i’m my own boss’ attitude. You won’t find any numbers to support your assumption, if by “huge” you’re referring to a percentage of the total homeless population. In most cities in colder climates, shelters will have emergency cold days where they expand their capacity, loosen any requirements/restrictions on their entry and open their doors. We began planning a few months ago trying to come up with places that will have or can make room. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/34 "2009-10-21T18:31:08Z")
In this day and age it’s fucking disgraceful that people are homeless, hungry, cold, dressed in rags and begging just to get enough cash together to be able to afford a cup of coffee. If there is a god he’s got a piss poor sense of humour and we, the fortunate ones, just don’t know how bloody fortunate we are. Fucking hell, tales like those upthread make me so angry ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/35 "2009-10-21T18:38:28Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > (Add on question) > > **Why** do homeless people live in very cold areas? I grew up in southern Canada, i.e. 18 miles north of the United States. Every winter we would routinely have days where the temperature hit -30° C, and sometimes -40°. Where would homeless go? They can’t go south for the winter, because of the border. To get to the balmy west coast, they’d have to travel over a thousand miles, over several mountain ranges. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/36 "2009-10-21T18:45:37Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > But it’s okay to have a hundred barkers for prostitutes per square yard all up in your face and trying to give you pornographic advertisements for their hookers? No need to clean _that_ up? I don’t even want to think about what it must cost to clean up the hooker-card litter every night - it’s gone by morning, somehow. Whoa! You’re attributing things to me that were never said. I do think it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, but your being annoyed by it is not as bothersome to me as the situation going unaddressed for decade upon decade. The local government needs to get off their collective ass and fix the problem. The people have to pay more taxes to fund it. Who are you angry at? The homeless or the officials who can’t or won’t solve your problems? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/37 "2009-10-21T18:47:02Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > You won’t find any numbers to support your assumption, if by “huge” you’re referring to a percentage of the total homeless population. > > In most cities in colder climates, shelters will have emergency cold days where they expand their capacity, loosen any requirements/restrictions on their entry and open their doors. We began planning a few months ago trying to come up with places that will have or can make room. Here in suburban Chicago, the shelters are open from 10/1 to 4/1 (I think). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/38 "2009-10-21T19:03:32Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > thought i’ve found that there is a huge amount of young single homeless that want to be that way because ‘i’m my own boss’ attitude. > [@Munch](#): > > You won’t find any numbers to support your assumption, if by “huge” you’re referring to a percentage of the total homeless population. when i worked aiding the homeless, for young single homeless it was more common than any other reason. no one was going to dictate what they did in their life even if it resulted in being homeless and all that went with it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/39 "2009-10-21T19:10:19Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Whoa! You’re attributing things to me that were never said. I do think it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, but your being annoyed by it is not as bothersome to me as the situation going unaddressed for decade upon decade. The local government needs to get off their collective ass and fix the problem. The people have to pay more taxes to fund it. Who are you angry at? The homeless or the officials who can’t or won’t solve your problems? Oh, no, not mad at you! We were just there in March and we couldn’t believe they let that kind of crap fly in such a “clean”, sanitized city. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591/40 "2009-10-21T19:12:02Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > when i worked aiding the homeless, for young single homeless it was more common than any other reason. no one was going to dictate what they did in their life even if it resulted in being homeless and all that went with it. That’s also a reason that surfaces extremely frequently amongst the mentally ill - which doesn’t lend itself very well to the “want to be that way” portion of your argument, and severely cuts down the “huge amount” as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-homeless-people-live-in-very-cold-areas/514591.md?page=3)