Philadelphia Will Declare "Code Blue" Sunday Night
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The City of Philadelphia will be declaring a "code blue" at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Leticia Egea-Hinton, deputy director of the Philadelphia Office of Supportive Housing, says during a code blue, folks try to get the homeless off the streets:
"When a code blue is called, what we take into account is the temperature," she said. "It's generally 20 degrees and below, and a combination of precipitation. Sometimes it can be snow, rain, combined with ice. In this case, the code blue is being called because we're expecting a cold snap."
Egea-Hinton says anyone who sees a person living or sleeping on the street during a code blue should call the outreach number. This will prompt workers to come out and check on the person.
"People who are chronically street homeless have a tendency to be a little sicker than other people so they may be dealing with medical issues that make them more vulnerable to the elements," she said.
The outreach number is 215-232-1984.
