Frigid McHenry County temperatures trigger helping hands for homeless, at-risk older residents

The temperatures have plummeted, and area coordinators are helping the homeless, older residents and others at risk of feeling it the most.

Micki Miller, executive director for Senior Services Associates, which serves residents in Kane, Kendall and McHenry counties, said care coordinators reached out to at-risk residents in advance of the frigid weather.

Coordinators already have been delivering and will continue to deliver food to those who call and are in an emergency situation, Miller said.

The service also has an emergency fund they’ve used to pay electricity and gas bills for some at-risk residents who need to catch up in order to keep the heat and lights on through this bitter cold, she said.

They also collaborate with others in the county when services or repairs are needed if the power or gas go out, Miller said.

“We are very lucky to be a part of a great team of collaborators in McHenry County,” she said.

As of Friday afternoon, there had not yet been any emergency calls from McHenry County.

However, Miller said she has taken calls from people who said they were running low on food and water, and her care coordinators made deliveries to those older residents.

At-risk older adults in need and living near the city of McHenry can call 815-344-3555, and those near Crystal Lake can call 815-356-7457.

“These are the people who have built our communities, and they are at a different point in their lives. They sometimes have no one else to turn to, and that is what we are here for,” Miller said. “And if we can’t provide a service, we find someone who can.”

Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and care coordinators also can provide information on warming centers. The Senior Services Associates activity centers were closed Friday, but the offices still were open, she said.

Gina Zinck, who works for Pioneer Center for Human Services as the coordinated entry lead matching homeless people to housing in McHenry County, said Friday that a lot of people were calling in need, “seeking refuge from this weather.”

“Calls are coming fast and furious today, and we are here, but technically it’s a day off,” she said.

Because temperatures dipped below 15 degrees, the emergency shelter program has kicked in, Zinck said.

Through the program, which is funded by private donations and federal grants, she said she can find emergency temporary shelter during these frigid temperatures.

She then makes assessments of the individual with the hopes of finding them permanent housing.

When someone arrives at the emergency shelter location, a food basket also is provided by the Society of St. Vincent DePaul Society, which is facilitated through area churches.

To reach Zinck, call 815-759-7133. She said to leave a message and calls would be returned until 10 p.m. during these very cold days.

McHenry County has a list of emergency warming centers and other information to stay safe during this cold snap on its website at McHenryAware.com and on the McHenry County Facebook page.

Dave Christensen, director of emergency management for McHenry County, said if a problem arises, such as a loss of heat or electricity, the first call should be to nonemergency police or fire lines, or the local village hall.

Residents also can call 211 for a more directed approach in cases of losing power or heat. This line, which the county has had for about 10 years, is useful year-round in connecting residents to various other services, he said.

As of Friday afternoon, when the temperature at the McHenry County courthouse in Woodstock – where Christensen was in his office – was minus 6, he said the only calls that had come in so far involved car crashes and a water main break on Elm Street in the city of McHenry.

During such frigid temperatures, Christensen said he keeps an eye on power outages and ice jams on the Fox River, which potentially could cause flooding.

“[I’m] hoping nothing happens that we can’t take,” he said. “Last time it was this cold was in 2019, and that lasted a long time. This will be a short one. This isn’t the worst the area has seen.”