HARTFORD, Conn. — A polar plunge in temperatures across Connecticut will make the elements especially dangerous to the homeless population.
Just ahead of the frigid weather, Officer Jim Barrett and the “Footwear with Care” team were out on Main Street in Hartford on Monday, working to help the homeless.
Barrett is Hartford’s lone homeless outreach officer, and volunteers from the non-profit Footwear with Care assisted Barrett in giving out essential goods.
“Because of the dropping temperatures a lot of these homeless guys are struggling in the cold,” said Barrett, who was seen working out of his signature converted bomb squad truck across from the Hartford Public Library.
A small crowd gathered outside of Barrett’s box truck to take away cold-weather essentials.
“This is our busy season for sure, we’re really trying to protect people’s health," Abby Moore, the executive director of Footwear with Care said. "It can be very bad for people living outside.”
Sleeping bags, hats, hand warmers, and gloves were just some of the items being donated to the city’s homeless on a Monday when evening wind chills were expected to go into the single digits.
Among those greeting Officer Barrett and the team from Footwear with Care was Dominick Burba, who said he was homeless on the streets of Hartford for two years. Burba has since found work and lives in East Hartford, and he attributed some of his success to Barrett and the team that helps the homeless.
“They help us with supplies, tents hand warmers, coffee -- they help a lot,” Burba said.
“People need to stay warm and survive this incredible cold snap…we’re really just trying to protect people's health,” Moore added.
To learn more about the non-profit Footwear with Care, click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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