The temperature just after 6:00 p.m. Friday read 29 degrees, but later that night, squads of teams from the city's Chronic Homeless Outreach Services walked in the bitter cold through every park and street corner where the down and out wander.
Many of the homeless on the streets Friday night were referred to as 'the hardcore' who live in a haze of mental illness and/or alcohol and substance abuse:
"[They] don't grasp the concept or understand sometimes to go into a nice safe environment during the present time," Dave Holloman a coordinator with Chronic Homeless Outreach Services.
On this particular night, they may have literally saved a homeless man's life who was unconscious under a dark corner of the MSB building across from City Hall.
Often times, those they are trying to help are not the most cooperative people.
But what has made the city's effort so successful is that they work to persuade, not force, the homeless to accept their help, and more often than not, they succeed.
In the mid 1990's, officials estimate that 4,500 homeless people lived in the city, half of them on the streets, but in recent years, thanks to the city and its partners like Sister Mary Scullion and Project Home, there are less than 400 homeless, and most, if not all, of them are in a warm place tonight.
