AUSTIN, Texas — For the last couple of days, Central Texas has experienced freezing temperatures. While many have a place to stay warm, there are others sleeping out in the cold.
Bianca Bangor is currently experiencing homelessness. The summer of 2019 was when it all started.
"We had never been homeless before," said Bangor. "We got this desperate feeling that we never felt before."
She ended up finding a place to live, but about two weeks ago, she and her family were asked to leave their home. They were struggling to pay rent, and the landlord told them to pack up their things.
"We tried to see if we could, you know, afford any other places," said Bangor. "At this point, it's not something that we could do."
Now, they're back to being homeless. She and her husband were able to sleep at her parent's home, but they couldn't stay there for long and, with the winter storm coming, they knew they had to find a place.
"It's been a struggle trying to find enough money to pay for the room each night," she said.
Bangor said once the temperatures go back up, she and her family will start camping.
"As soon as it gets warm enough, we're just going to be camping, you know, at a campsite somewhere," said Bangor. "If it was the summer, we would have just gone straight there. You know, we have a nice tent. We would have found a camp place. We would have figured it out, and it would have helped us save money."
Bangor is happy she had a warm place to stay, but she can't help but think about those who don't.
"There are thousands of people in the streets at this point," said Bangor. "Just waiting for a possibility of a place to live and just intense and freezing."
Bangor is tight on money, and with two dogs, she's doing everything she can to pay for another night inside.
The City of Austin activated its Cold Weather Shelter Plan on Saturday, Feb. 5, in anticipation of a widespread freeze overnight. For more information on how to get help, click here.
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