Cold snap reveals generosity, and gaps, in Sarasota’s homelessness services

During a recent record-breaking cold snap that saw temperatures plummet below freezing on some nights, Sarasota’s homeless population faced life-or-death decisions unheard of this far south in the Sunshine State.

Joe Reuth, executive director of local nonprofit Resurrection House, was there at 5 a.m. on those cold mornings, opening over three hours earlier than usual to ensure people were showered, fed and dressed for the cold.

“Compassion and caring is essential, especially in the cold weather,” Reuth said. “It’s the difference between life or death. When they come into our day center, they’re literally cold to the bones, shaking, definitely in need of warmth and a hot beverage, and that’s what we provide.”

The dangerously cold weather began in January when an Arctic air mass pushed deep into Florida, sending overnight temperatures across the Suncoast into the low 30s. Wind chills made it feel even colder — in the 20s at times — and scattered snow flurries were reported in parts of the region. 

In a place where average January and February lows hover in the mid-50s and freeze warnings are uncommon, multiple nights near or below freezing marked one of the most unusual stretches of winter in recent memory and posed acute danger for people living outdoors.

Those bone-chilling temperatures may be waning, but the struggles faced by people experiencing homelessness won’t melt away with them. 

Though Sarasota has come a long way since being named the “meanest” city for homelessness in 2006, advocates said the recent cold snap exposed both the strengths — and fragility — of the region’s safety net.

Community leaders like homeless solutions advocate Jim Doyle and Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation Senior Adviser John Annis said emergency responses matter, but they are not enough. Annis said he worries that policies, like a 2024 state law prohibiting camping or sleeping on public property without authorization, risk pushing people further into crisis, especially those who avoid shelters because of safety concerns or pets.

That law drew the ire of several statewide and national homelessness advocates who in April wrote to 21 cities and counties in Florida — including Sarasota — urging non-punitive measures during implementation.

It’s also expensive, Doyle said, to cycle people through emergency shelters, ambulance rides, police encounters and jail stays when stable housing would cost less.

Long-term change, they said, requires more flexible building rules and sustained investment in systems that move people out of homelessness — not just protect them from the next freeze.

Until then, that protection from the cold remains essential. 

In addition to Resurrection House, which provided services to those in need, organizations like the Salvation Army of Sarasota County, Remnant Church and The 100 Church — all of which provided overnight shelter — stepped up to serve as a lifeline during the bitter cold while also working to move people out of the homeless system so they won’t be on the streets for the next cold snap.

“They know that there’s an organization out there that cares,” Reuth said. “Our volunteers and staff were happy to come in early because we knew that the homeless people needed us, especially during the cold weather.”

Staying warm during brutal Florida cold

When cold set in across Sarasota toward the end of January, Joel Lanfair Jr., 52, sought shelter from the howling winds in a downtown parking garage behind Starbucks near 1st Street. He found a quiet corner, wrapped a blanket around himself and used his backpack as a pillow.

Lanfair has been homeless in Sarasota for more than two years, rousted out of parking garages by police eight times, including twice this winter, according to court records. He said he struggles with substance abuse, and when reporters spoke with him Thursday at a park near Selby Library, he had less than $10 to his name. 

As winter temperatures dropped near freezing, Lanfair said he tried to stay at the Salvation Army shelter, but when he arrived, the gates were closed, and no one came to let him inside. In the past, he has balked at the restraints — like refraining from drug use — that many of the downtown service providers require. The shelter also closes its doors nightly at 8:30 p.m.

Lanfair insisted he doesn’t require assistance and puts his faith in God to protect him, even when the temperatures become dangerous. 

“I got my blankets right there. This is my pillow I sleep on, and I got my food right there,” he said. “So I’m good to go. He (Christ) provides all my needs. I have pure, pure faith in Jesus Christ.”

During the cold snap, Reuth said Resurrection House didn’t see a spike in guests — it welcomed the usual 80 to 110 people per day — but rather an increase in demand for services. There were more winter clothes handed out, from coats to gloves to pants. Resurrection House received plenty of donations from the community due to the weather conditions, so it faced no shortage of items to donate.

Guests used the day center longer to stay out of the cold, and were more inclined to get hot showers and meals.

Resurrection House had about 15 to 20 volunteers each day over the roughly two-week cold snap. There wasn’t a need to recruit more help without a major increase in those being served, but Reuth had to ensure volunteers were prepared to handle more frequent demand for its services.

For the month of January, those volunteers helped serve 1,722 clients, fulfill 517 clothing requests and 623 laundry requests, provide 848 showers and give mail to 373 people. Overall, it was a 10% increase in services from December, when the weather was much warmer.

Another reason for opening Resurrection House early was so those leaving overnight shelters had a place to stay warm in the early hours of the morning. One of those shelters, the Salvation Army of Sarasota County, is the only one in the area that takes in individual adults.

Aside from its 250-bed Center of Hope shelter, Brenda Downing-Wiggins, Salvation Army director of operations, said it partners with the county to open a cold weather shelter when the temperature or “feels like” temperature falls below 42 degrees. 

At the cold weather shelter, people came at 5:30 p.m. for dinner and had a place to get out of the bitter weather, shower and sleep. Downing-Wiggins said the most people who came to the shelter in one night was 22; its capacity is 30.

The Salvation Army didn’t have supply shortages thanks to its partnership with All Faiths Food Bank, and community donations sustained their need for linens and towels.

The staff and volunteers were stretched thin at times, however. Downing-Wiggins, who’s been with the organization since 2021, said the Salvation Army opened its cold weather shelter more nights than any other year during her time with the organization.

“Anytime you increase the number of folks who are in your building, it does stretch our staff a little thin, especially when we’re already running a 24-hour facility every other day,” Downing-Wiggins said. “But it’s who we are as an organization. We can’t fulfill total needs all the time, but we should always be part of the solution.”

The Sarasota Homeless Outreach Team also plays a critical role in spreading the word about these organizations, hitting the streets to directly communicate the resources available to the city’s homeless population.

Not everyone accesses those services, though — even during the bone-chilling cold. 

Jeff Muschinske, 72, told Suncoast Searchlight he’s had trouble staying at shelters, where it’s hard not being a “people person.” During the day, he sets up a folding chair and listens to music on a Bluetooth speaker. At night, he moves around, finding places outside to lay down bedding and thick blankets during the winter.

“I’ve worked, I have a retirement,” Muschinske said. “I just can’t find affordable housing, so I sit outside … I’m an outdoor person.”

Building better opportunities for those with none

For two weeks, the weather made the homelessness situation impossible to ignore. The deeper challenge, advocates said, is maintaining the urgency when the crisis subsides. 

Doyle, who volunteers at Resurrection House, said lasting change requires more than emergency beds and winter coats. It requires housing, and the willingness to prioritize it.

“We can ask people a lot less than that if we had the housing, money and the appetite to do it,” Doyle said.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as building more, Doyle said. If more housing is built, more people can be housed.

Ensuring building codes and regulations are homeless-friendly is another way to house more people, according to Annis. He recalled when Barancik Foundation donated to Second Heart Homes, a local nonprofit that provides housing and critical support. When Second Heart housed six men in a single-family home, they were notified that since the men weren’t related, they couldn’t live together due to fire hazards. 

It’s rules like these that set back long-term homeless solutions, Annis said.

However, there have been bright spots. Along with retiring its “meanest city” nickname, Sarasota County has seen a decline in those experiencing homelessness. Last year, 378 people were recorded experiencing homelessness, down from the usual 500-plus counted in 2019-22.

While Annis and Barancik Foundation are donating and investing in systemic change, he said working toward those changes wouldn’t be possible without the organizations that support the homeless community through immediate challenges such as the recent cold snap. Barancik Foundation is also a major donor to Suncoast Searchlight.

Downing-Wiggins said this support is available not just to help those in need, but those who could be in need at an unexpected moment in their life.

“Homelessness is a community issue,” Downing-Wiggins said. “No one is exempt. So that’s within our mission of making sure that we come alongside those that are in need and try to help them during their crisis, but also get them to a place of sustainability.”

Clinton Engelberger is a contributor at Suncoast Searchlight. Email Clinton at clintonengelberger@gmail.com.

Suncoast Searchlight reporters Derek Gilliam and Alice Herman contributed to this report.