Bitter cold pushes those fighting homelessness in La Crosse to work harder

After a brief respite, it’s back to bitter cold temperatures in the region for a few days.

That makes those at the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness work even harder toward their goals to get all homeless off the streets.

“It definitely creates a lot of urgency,” Julie McDermid, project manager with the collaborative, said. “We all work pretty hard during this time of year.”

The group just announced success in reaching its most recent goal in finding homes for 10 homeless families in the area but it is still working on more as the temps drop.

“We absolutely think about that,” she said of homeless enduring the bitter temps. “We think about that all the time with regards to families or veterans, everybody out there who’s homeless. It shines a spotlight on it.”

McDermid’s group has been doing pretty well tackling the issue so far.