Fifty-two people in Jalisco have died as a result of the cold in 2014, prompting welfare agencies to introduce new measures to guarantee that the state’s homeless population are protected this winter.
The Family Development Agency (DIF) and the Jalisco Institute of Social Assistance (IJAS) announced that night brigades will visit the homeless, and offer them food, hot drinks and warm clothing, as well as a place to stay. The brigades will operate mostly in Guadalajara’s metropolitan area, in sites such as those surrounding the Hospital Civil and San Juan de Dios market, where the homeless tend to congregate.
IJAS Director General Gabriel Gonzalez Delgadillo mentioned that night brigades would visit various points of the city, where they would seek people out and invite them to their hostels.
“The night tours involve bringing food and inviting people to spend the night or the winter period in our care units.”
The Jalisco Secretariat of Health (SSJ) reports that this year’s winter is expected to be the coldest of the last decade, with temperatures dropping to levels that could be dangerous for some vulnerable groups, especially the homeless.