Natasha Mixson, 38, has been homeless for almost 10 years and with overnight temperatures in north central Florida dropping lower and lower, it’s become unsafe for her to sleep outside.
“It’s not fun sleeping on cold concrete,” she said. “Not at all.”
But Mixson, who was evicted from her mother’s home in 2019, has found help for those wintry nights.
The City of Gainesville funds Cold Night Shelters (CNS), providing unhoused people a warm place to stay when temperatures dip below 45 degrees. At St. Franics House, a hot meal and shower are also provided.
According to the City of Gainesville, the CNS Program helps “families and individuals desiring shelter” and will “remain in effect until overnight low temperatures rise above 45 F”.
“I don’t see the city wanting to discontinue that funding ever,” said St Francis House Director Lauri Schiffbauer. “It literally saves lives.”
Schiffbauer said the unpredictability of the weather challenges those who are less fortunate. That’s why she wants to help.
“I love my job,” she said. “We’re doing good things, we’re making progress and that’s important to me.”
Schiffbauer remembers her mother asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up: “I just want to make the world better,” she said. Schiffbauer said she’s able to do that at St. Francis House.
“I really feel it makes a difference,” she said, with the main goal of helping people succeed.
“We want to end their homelessness,” Schiffbauer said.
Schiffbauer says the shelter gets around 20 to 40 residents each night, and the shelter has never had to turn someone away. “We’ve been very fortunate,” she said.
She said everyone on the team is really compassionate and welcomes help.
On Monday, international students and the University of Florida football team came to volunteer.
Kicker Patrick Durkin said he’s grateful to be able to give back to the community. Athletes colored with children, cleaned up the kitchen and simply tried to get to know people.
“We couldn’t be more happy to do this,” he said.
Durkin said the team didn’t have practice that day, but said, “Today’s more of a day of service”.
He said a guest speaker who came to their team meeting this morning put into perspective how good they have it. “It’s all about giving back,” he said.
Schiffbauer said non-Floridians may not think you would need cold night shelters in the sunshine state, but bundled up in three layers of clothing, she said we definitely do.
“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be unsheltered and sleeping out there,” she said.
But Mixson, with 12 herniated discs in her back from a car accident, doesn’t have to imagine.
It’s Mixson’s first time in the shelter. However, other residents, such as Harold Cunningham, have been utilizing the shelter for years.
He’s 61 and has been homeless for around 20 years. Cunningham “doesn’t know” where he’d be without the cold night shelters.
Mixson said she wants people to know that homelessness could happen at any time. “Anybody could be here,” she said.
And although she never thought it would be her, she’s grateful to St. Francis for helping. She said St. Francis helps for the right reasons, not to “rub it in somebody’s face.”
Ultimately, Mixson says the best thing about St. Francis’ House is not having to freeze overnight on the sidewalks.