Sonoma County's Plan Aimed at Winter Homelessness Falls Short

The November 3rd Press Democrat article “Plan to address winter homelessness in Sonoma County taking shape” is an excellent reminder to the community in Sonoma County to be grateful for what they have and to help those less fortunate than themselves. The article details the work being done by charities and churches to provide shelters with more cold-weather supplies such as blankets, coats, and heaters. However, as citizens of Sonoma County I believe that we can also try our best to donate whatever we can, whether it be time, money, or supplies, to the less fortunate. Sonoma County has a sizeable homeless population and with Winter rapidly approaching, their health will soon be put at risk.

An issue that I have with the article is that the plan was to begin preparing early for Winter. Although it is still Fall, the mornings and nights in Sonoma County are by no means warm. I feel as though preparations to help the homeless community in Sonoma County should have begun much sooner. As a community, we can start taking donations for cold-weather supplies during the spring and summer months so that there’s a stockpile to use when the colder months come around.