As the coldest winter weather descends upon Kankakee County, homeless advocates are seeking to strike while the iron is hot.

The Homeless Task Force of Kankakee County, through social media, issued a two-page plea posted Thursday to Bradley, Bourbonnais and Kankakee municipal leadership for a “swift response to this problem.”

The task force is seeking immediate overnight shelter services as overnight temperatures are falling into sub-zero levels.

“Cold nights and severe weather create life-threatening conditions for our unsheltered neighbors, and, while our existing shelters and services do important work, they are unable to accommodate all persons during winter months, leaving many people exposed to dangerous temperatures,” the task force wrote in a mid-December statement.

In a Facebook post Thursday on the Fortitude Community Outreach page, it was said that as information is being shared regarding warming centers, there is a glaring omission of overnight warming locations.

“At this very moment, municipality leaders are being delivered a letter from the Task Force calling for an immediate response to providing overnight warming,” the post read.

A metro area of this size, according to the post, “must be able to offer that, especially when nonprofits are handcuffed from doing so.”

Fortitude sought a permit to operate an overnight shelter at its 970 E. Court St. location in the 1st Ward in mid September, but the conditional use permit request gathered no Kankakee City Council support.

The organization could not reapply for the permit for a 12-month period.

The two-page letter was signed by: Dawn Broers, Fortitude executive director; Sarah Howe, Catholic Charities director; Lauren Santefort, Cornerstone Services director; and Connie Lemon, Homeless Advocacy Group of Kankakee County moderator.

The signatures of Broers, Santefort and Lemon were dated Dec. 11. The Howe signature was dated Dec. 17.

While the task force said the letters were sent to the mayors of Bradley, Bourbonnais and Kankakee, all three men said they are unaware of this letter.

The letters, task force leadership said, were being delivered Friday.

Lemon, speaking on behalf of the task force, said the group has been seeking a solution for the past 12 months, stressing this did not come about due to this cold snap.

And, she said, this is not about seeking a remedy only within the boundaries of the city of Kankakee.

“Warming shelters are good, but they do not provide overnight shelter. There are tons of homeless families in cars tonight or wherever,” she said. “There is no safety net.”

Asked how many people are without a warm place to lay their heads, Lemon said that is difficult to determine. One thing which is clear is there are not nearly enough hotel vouchers to satisfy the need.

“We don’t know where people on [voucher] waiting lists will go. This will be a long winter. There is no solution,” she said.

Fortitude has a bus which had been used as a mobile overnight shelter. The bus is not in use.

The Gift of God Ministries shelter along North Fifth Avenue will open its shelter overnight through Tuesday night. The shelter is for adult men and women.

The Gift of God shelter has 12 beds for men and 12 for women. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those seeking overnight shelter need to be at the site between 5-6 p.m., said director James Smith.

Smith said there is a chance overnight sheltering could be extended beyond Tuesday night if the extreme cold continues.

The task force letter noted there are several sanctioned and known warming centers locally, but none have an option for overnight hours. “... [And] providing sanctioned Overnight Warming Locations is simple, humane, and effective way to prevent suffering, injury, and death among members of our community.”

It was further said ensuring that people here can survive the night is a “shared responsibility and reflects our values of compassion, dignity, and care for one another. Therefore, we respectfully ask each municipality to swiftly take the following steps to protect our unsheltered neighbors during cold weather.”

These steps are:

1. Provide a community process that can allow for the sanctioning of Overnight Warming Locations quickly and easily in preparation for periods of extreme cold and hazardous weather.
2. Identify minimum parameters acceptable for locations, such as community centers, organizations, churches, public buildings, or designated outdoor sites with temporary structures, to be approved as accessible and appropriate to safely serve as warming locations.
3. Work closely with service providers and community partners to create simple, clear guidelines for Overnight Warming Locations in a timely manner to save lives this winter.