JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — This weekend, Jacksonville's beaches could have their first freeze since 2018.
For the First Coast's homeless population, the cold can be deadly, and homeless organizations need your help to save lives.
Cold weather shelters are planning to open because the temperature is expected to drop below 40 degrees.
The cold weather shelter for Mission House at Jacksonville Beach will be at the parish hall for St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal.
Mission House CEO Carina Saladino says they plan to open from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. She says they need volunteers and donations for this weekend. Their cold weather shelter averages 25 to 50 people.
"Typically we're their last stop, and we're their last hope," Saladino said. "We really need the rest of the community to come out and help support us."
Contact Mission House here for volunteer opportunities. The items they need donated the most are sleeping bags, blankets, snacks, small men's pants and large to 3XL men's sweatshirts.
This will help, but what Jacksonville's homeless really need is affordable housing.
"If people are out there, and they have an empty building or an apartment complex or something that they think can be useful to get people back on their feet, we're willing to work with you," Saladino said. "We really want to get people off the streets and independent again."
Rent prices in Jacksonville are among the highest in the country, jumping 30 percent in the last year.
Eileen Briggs, chief development officer at Sulzbacher, says they're helping more families with young children.
"We saw throughout the pandemic there was the eviction moratorium, so we didn't see a huge spike in homelessness right away," she said. "But we are starting to see that now, particularly with families," she said.
Briggs and Saladino say the 'housing first' model to get people off the streets is working. That's where an organization gets a roof over someone's head, then helps them stay on their feet for 12 to 18 months.
"The rents have continued to spike in Jacksonville," Briggs said. "The market in Jacksonville is to build these luxury apartments, which people working at a minimum wage job can't afford."
She says as housing prices increase, so does the number of homeless people.
Women and families seeking shelter from the cold can go to Sulzbacher Village at 5455 Springfield Blvd. and men go to Sulzbacher’s Downtown Campus at 611 East Adams St.