“Hypothermia can start setting in when you sleep in 65-degree weather uncovered, unsheltered,” said Dominic Yanas at Communities Under the Bridge.
SAN ANTONIO — As temperatures dip into the 40s and 30s, Communities Under the Bridge (CUB) says the danger to San Antonio’s unhoused residents rises sharply — long before the winter-weather shelters open.
“People come to us really for life-saving measures,” said Dominic Yanas, executive administrator at Communities Under the Bridge. “That blanket keeps them not just warm and comfortable overnight, but it keeps them to see the morning the next day.”
Yanas said once temperatures fall into the 40s, the nonprofit sees a surge in requests for basic survival items. “More need for blankets, more need for gloves, for warm hats, socks, clean underwear,” he said.
CUB shelters typically open only when temperatures reach freezing, but Yanas emphasized that cold-weather risks begin much earlier.
“Hypothermia can start setting in when you sleep in 65-degree weather uncovered, unsheltered,” he said.
With few options, many people experiencing homelessness turn to doorways, alleys, empty lots, abandoned buildings or spots under bridges.
CUB works to fill that gap by providing food, clothing and, during colder weather, emergency gear such as insulated blankets.
“Our people come here because they trust us,” Yanas said. “That… is always our greatest need — to establish that relationship with people who typically don’t trust others.”
For clients like Ruben Martinez Nunez, that support can be the difference between enduring the cold and falling deeper into crisis. “If it wasn’t for places like this, you know, we’d be in such bad luck,” he said.
For Yanas, the mission is personal. He worked at Haven for Hope in 2014 and later became homeless himself in 2016 — an experience that shaped his understanding of the obstacles many face.
“We hold that line against poverty,” he said. “We let people know in this world somebody loves you.”
To learn how to support Communities Under the Bridge and view their winter weather plans, you can click here.