Cold proves chaotic in Findlay

FINDLAY — A chaotic and uncoordinated response to the blast of arctic weather may have left Findlay's homeless population out in the cold this week. In the past, the city of Findlay has taken the lead in organizing and announcing the opening of warming center operations when winter weather becomes life-threatening. There was no announcement on Monday, and attempts by The Courier to gather the information were hindered by the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Calls to service agencies were unanswered, and messages were left unreturned. Unfortunately, Service-Safety Director Rob Martin said it may have been "the perfect storm," with communications breaking down among community agencies that serve the homeless population, most likely due to the holiday weekend. Martin said "stakeholder agencies," all members of the city's Unhoused Coalition, typically organize the response via an email group, and then the information is communicated to the community. Martin said the process should be "plug and play," but this week, it fell through, with confusion even among the service agencies about the availability of public warming centers. Findlay's Unhoused Coalition is a collaborative task force formed in mid-2022 by city officials, local nonprofits and business leaders to address rising homelessness. "We need to re-circle the wagons to figure out the problem," said Martin. "We need to respond and react to these situations quickly. This is going to happen again in a week or a month. We need a consistent process, and we need to look at what happened in the last 48 hours. Places were open. Services were available, but communication among the group and to the community could have been better." The City Mission of Findlay, 510 W. Main Cross St., is offering extended hours today for individuals in need of shelter, but who are not program residents. The mission will open at 3 p.m. and remain open until 9 a.m. Normal hours for the low-barrier shelter are 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Program residents, who reside at the mission, are not required to leave. Kathryn Bausman, executive director of the City Mission, said the mission will reevaluate conditions on Thursday to determine whether extended hours are still needed. A free laundry facility at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, 214 W. Sandusky St., is another warm place where people can take refuge through the day. The facility is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering free washing, drying, and supplies for up to two loads per family. On Tuesday afternoon, 50 North, 339 E. Melrose Ave., announced it would open as a warming center for Hancock County residents, ages 50 and up, during its regular business hours. Access to public warming centers is limited due to time constraints and program requirements, especially during the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day, when individuals who are not enrolled in the mission's programming are required to leave. Contrary to information given to The Courier on Monday, NAMI Hancock County and the FOCUS: Recovery & Wellness Community do not offer public warming areas. They only offer warming areas to their clients, and could be closed due to a holiday or bad weather. There's an age requirement at 50 North, and the laundry at St. Andrew's Church is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Overnight temperatures on Monday were extremely cold, with actual air temperatures dropping to around 0 to 5 degrees, and, when combined with high winds, creating wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero. A cold weather advisory remained in effect until noon Tuesday, with temperatures in the low teens and high winds making it feel like minus 10 to minus 15 degrees or lower. Temperatures are expected to moderate today, with highs in the mid-30s. Lows Thursday night are expected to return to the single digits. According to the National Weather Service's advisory, even a brief time spent outdoors without proper protection could be dangerous with this storm. Residents are urged to dress in layers, cover exposed skin, and limit time outside. According to the weather service, exposure to the cold could lead to frostbite in less than 30 minutes. The cold settling over northern Ohio is part of a broader polar vortex pattern affecting much of the Midwest and eastern United States this month. Meteorologists said disruptions in the polar vortex have allowed arctic air normally locked near the North Pole to spill southward in waves. Weather experts warn that the pattern remains active, meaning additional rounds of cold air are possible later in January, even if temperatures briefly moderate. Forecasters expect a modest warmup beginning today, with highs potentially climbing back into the 20s and low 30s as winds ease. Another system could bring light snow later in the week, but no major accumulation is expected at this time. Despite the warming trend, temperatures are likely to remain below seasonal averages statewide.