LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the temperatures drop into the single digits, most people will choose to stay indoors, but for some people, it isn't that easy.
"We get cold and we go inside," Jeff Gill, a homeless outreach volunteer, said. "A lot of the people that stay outside, they get cold and then they go into certain restaurants and they get put out, or they go into certain places to get warm and they're not exactly welcome."
Thousands of men, women and children are homeless in Louisville. While many shelters have opened their doors and lifted their barriers during the cold weather, Gill said many of the people he's met with over the years will not be checking in for a variety of reasons.
"Some may never understand this, but there are a percentage of people who would rather sleep outside in these conditions than go inside to a shelter," he said.
Gill, the founder of homeless outreach program Hip Hop Cares, usually spends his Sundays handing out food and supplies under the overpass at First and Broadway, but on days like this Sunday when the weather is freezing, he also makes sure to check in with the people who may be outside overnight.
"The goal at this point in these conditions would be to keep people alive," he said. "I first want to make sure that they're okay. I want to make sure they're coherent. And I want to let them know of resources. And if they're not open to those resources, I want to make sure that they have what they need to survive through the night."
According to Gill, even though there are shelters in Louisville, there need to be even more options for the homeless population that specializes to different needs. Until that happens, he said he will continue to hand out supplies, advise people to get indoors and, just as importantly, offer encouragement and support.
"It provides a sense of hope," he said. "It provides a sense of respect. And it provides a sense of love. And without hope, love and respect, none of us can grow."