San Antonio Won’t Open Overnight Warming Centers During Cold Front

The City Of San Antonio is taking a little heat for letting some of it's residents freeze.

The Front

Most of Texas will experience a cold blast this week. Thursday night/Friday morning the City Of San Antonio is expected to reach a low of 29 degrees. That may not seem very cold to those of you who just have to make it from your house to your car, but for homeless people that could be more than enough to freeze to death, or at least be stircken with a weather related problem.

The City

The City recognizes how cold it is going to be because they are opening some daytime warming centers, but aren't opening any overnight. As someone who looks at weather all over Texas and New Mexico, and as someone who knows basic science, I can tell you that in almost all cases it gets coldest when the sun isn't out. Somehow that bit of knowledge isn't enough for San Antonio to flip the switch and allow the homeless someplace to go.

The Situation

I get it, it's tricky accommodating the homeless. There are all kinds of issues at play including sanitation, security, and the actual accommodations. I will even admit to being a bit cold-hearted toward the homeless myself, but allowing people to freeze to death is just a little too beyond the pale. The San Antonio Current puts the number of unsheltered homeless at just below 900 so it's more than likely that some will be seriously affected by this cold front.

It's A Bad Call

The reality of the situation is pretty simple, if San Antonio doesn't make room for the homeless during freezing temps, it will probably have to make room in the hospitals for the victims. It seems like siding on being proactive is a much better choice.