GEORGETOWN, Texas — The worst of the freezing temperatures are behind us, but when temperatures fall, many people need a warm place to sleep.
Over the last few weeks, a few nonprofits in Williamson County banded together to transform the San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church into a temporary emergency overnight shelter.
That’s because Williamson County does not have any official, government-run shelters for its unhoused population. It’s something Michelle Augustine, a member of the church and also part of the WilCo Homeless Coalition, said she noticed when she moved to Georgetown 12 years ago.
“Even for the extreme weather conditions, whether it’s the Arctic freeze or 107 degrees, our library has really been a source of folks to get some respite from some of the weather and the elements,” Augustine said.
However, the doors of local libraries closed during the latest cold snap. Since last year, Augustine said she, and other organizations, have been planning on how to address that. So she asked if the church could open its doors.
After partnering with Helping Hands of Georgetown, which distributes food and clothes to those experiencing homelessness, Augustine said they prepped the sanctuary in 10 days to welcome those who needed a place to go.
“Our guest residents are so appreciative they’re not expecting much,” Augustine said. “Just to have a cot to be in, in a warm place, it is golden to them, so anything above that is extra.”
Eighteen people have had a place to sleep and a warm meal since Monday. However, they plan to halt the shelter operation on Thursday night.
According to Augustine, not having a consistent safe place to be can be traumatizing to people, and there should be a more lasting solution. That’s why they’ve discussed the lack of a permanent shelter with Georgetown officials before.
“There is a concern that if we have a formalized shelter that we will draw the unhoused,” Augustine said. “They do not want to have the experiences that Austin has gone through, which is a very large unhoused population. So, my challenge to that is I get that so let’s be proactive rather than reactive.”
Augustine said Williamson County must address the lack of affordable housing, jobs, and homeless resources. That’s why Gasius Kendricks, who once experienced homelessness before working with Helping Hands, said he hopes the temporary shelters open the eyes of city leaders.
“We don’t want nobody to die or be alone, or stuff like that because it’s just like being rejected,” Kendricks said. “Construction is all over town. Why can’t they make something like a place where people can go when they fall on hard times?”
Augustine hopes educating the community about those experiencing homelessness and showing more compassion for others will help find a more permanent solution.
“These are real people with real issues that wanna be fruitful women who wanna take care of their children properly, men who wanna work,” Augustine said. “I believe having some way of caring for people– not just our plants, not just our pets, and not just our pipes– is a valuable thing.”
In a statement, Williamson County officials said they do not have the population density of unhoused residents to necessitate warming centers. Meanwhile, the city of Georgetown did not respond to our requests for information.