SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego churches and organizations opened their doors during Saturday's storm, providing temporary relief for homeless individuals.
Living Water Church of the Nazarene in San Diego housed 28 people Saturday night as rain drenched the region. The church served as an inclement weather shelter, providing a safe space during the storm.
"What we offer is really just a temporary fix. It's like alleviate suffering for one night, two nights, you know, whenever we're open," said Pastor Chris Nafis of Living Water Church of the Nazarene.
Pastor Nafis described the atmosphere as peaceful and collaborative during the emergency shelter operation.
"It was a good night. Everybody's grateful, calm. We try to set an atmosphere here that we're kind of in this together and like everyone's goal is to have a nice peaceful night of sleep, if possible, or at least rest," Nafis said.
Father Joe's Villages, another organization providing services to the homeless community, views storms as opportunities to connect people with resources and services they might not otherwise access.
"This might be a first touch point for some individuals, learning about different services, different pathways, you know, working on trust, building that comfort with working with another individual to address their challenges, to address their issues," Josh Bohannan, the chief strategy officer, said.
Inclement weather shelters activate under specific conditions: when temperatures drop to 50 degrees or below with a 40% chance of rain, when temperatures reach 45 degrees or below regardless of precipitation or during exceptional weather events involving one or more inches of rain within 24 hours, combined with sustained high winds.
This marks the fourth year Living Water Church of the Nazarene has opened its facility as an emergency weather shelter.
"We use every bit of space that we have. We're a small church. We really only have this one space, and so we feel like we're kind of maxing out our potential in terms of trying to help the community, at least in this way," Nafis said.
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