Mission Helping Homeless When Temperature Dips

The icy-cold weather can make for a miserable and dangerous night for the homeless.

Monday, February 11th 2008, 11:02 pm

By: News On 6


The icy-cold weather can make for a miserable and dangerous night for the homeless.  News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports when the temperature dips, and ice or snow are a possibility, the John 3:16 Mission often goes out searching for people in need.  And try to get them to come in from out of the cold.

When the weather gets cold, Jonette Coquat and others from John 3:16 start searching.

They're looking for people in need.  Those who may have nowhere else to turn on a cold night.

"The homeless don't have access to television or a newspaper, so they don't know it's going to be freezing," said Jonette Coquat, John 3:16 Mission.

Coquat and the others encourage homeless people to come to the John 3:16 Mission, instead of facing the elements.

"Bridges, parks, those are places where they are likely to be.  You just have to go looking," said Coquat.

For safety reasons, the teams go looking in pairs, and usually finish before dark.

It's an important mission, considering Oklahoma's constantly changing weather conditions.

"Try to keep them aware of the climate, but in Oklahoma it is always changing.  So especially when the weather is going back and forth we try to warn them it is going to be below freezing and they can come into the shelters," said Coquat.

Even with winter weather, some prefer not to go inside, because the mission has rules.

For those, John 3:16 still provides warm clothing, a blanket, a Bible, and a kind word.

"Just come in from out in the cold.  We will have some grace, we will have some compassion for you in this inclement weather," said Coquat.

Because the homeless population often frequently moves from one location to another, the search teams rely on their experience and other homeless people who tell them where to look.

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