Catholic Charities aims to prevent exposure deaths among Flagstaff homeless

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Homeless men file into the basement of the Church of the Resurrection in University Heights in these December 201 file photo.

MICHELLE McMANIMON
Sun Staff Reporter
3 hrs ago

As overnight low temperatures dip to near freezing this week, Flagstaff Catholic Charities workers are once again teaming up with other social service providers to prevent the city’s homeless from dying in the cold.

Catholic Charities created its Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness – or PATH program – in Flagstaff in 2006. Since then, anytime there is snow or ice or the temperatures are dangerously cold, two teams of PATH workers hit the streets all night searching shopping center storefronts, parks, alleys, bridges and tunnels for people who are sleeping outside.

“Our team’s winter outreach can mean life or death for those experiencing homelessness,” said Richard Brust, who runs the PATH program.

Catholic Charities works with other service providers in town, especially Flagstaff Shelter Services and Sunshine Rescue Mission, to find people a warm place to stay for the night. He said Flagstaff Police Department has been instrumental in helping with situations the PATH teams can’t handle alone. FPD also helps by picking up homeless people they spot who are in danger of freezing.

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