Tucson Region

Operation Deep Freeze again helps homeless

A cold day and freezing overnight temperatures forced Tucsonans to bundle up - and sent the area's homeless to shelters in the first night this season of Operation Deep Freeze. A storm north of Arizona dragged down a cold front, forcing frigid temperatures into Southern Arizona on Sunday that were expected to fall below freezing by early today, said Gary Zell, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The average first-freeze date is normally Nov. 24, and cold weather hit Tucson near the end of November last year, he said. The Nov. 27 record low of 24 degrees occurred in 1934, and the average low for this time of year is 42 degrees. For the upcoming winter, above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation are expected, Zell said. And immediate relief may be on the way. Forecasts call for a gradual warming trend. Lows this week are expected to be in the mid-30s to 40s. Highs are projected to be in the mid-60s to 70s. Operation Deep Freeze can go into effect anytime from Nov. 15 through March 31, but Sunday was the first night this season when authorities have opened the doors at the shelters that take part in the relief effort. Dozens of people sought help at the three shelters that opened Sunday. The South Corps Community Center, at 1625 S. Third Ave., was three-quarters full by early evening. Ron Coches, 58, is partially disabled and has sought shelter through Operation Deep Freeze several times. He comes into town to clean up and get a hot meal. "It's a good thing that keeps people from freezing," he said. Don Blascak, coordinator of Project Hospitality, and Jerry Brillo, director of the Salvation Army Hospitality House, have been with Operation Deep Freeze for 11 and 19 years, respectively, and could not imagine themselves anywhere else. "We want to put a little face on homelessness and a big face on compassion," Blascak said. "Operation Deep Freeze is a great collaborative effort on the part of 39 churches, the Tucson Police Department and other agencies who deal with homelessness on a regular basis." For two nights, a homeless man or woman can have hot meals, clean beds and warm blankets during Operation Deep Freeze, Brillo said. The efforts of this multifaith and secular organization bring security and service-oriented humanity to nearly 300 people who often can't break the cycle of homelessness, Blascak said. Dawn Dyer, a business owner, has been a volunteer serving the homeless during Operation Deep Freeze for five years. She said she gets more out of helping than she gives. "The first two weeks, I went home in tears every night," she said.