Anarchists are Building DIY Heaters to Keep Unhoused People Warm
Those damned do-gooder libruls!Open-source blueprints are inspiring activists to distribute tent-safe heaters that can be built for as little as $7.
The units cost about seven dollars each when components are purchased in bulk, and they can be used for both cooking and warming small indoor spaces for hours at a time. If the heater tips over, the flame automatically burns out and, with proper ventilation, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is minimal because isopropyl alcohol combusts cleanly.
The instructional guide has been translated into several languages, and groups that build and distribute the DIY heaters have popped up in rural areas and major cities across the US, including in Pittsburg, Philadelphia, New York City, San Diego, Atlanta, Tacoma, Kansas City, Dallas, Kalamazoo, Elm Fork, Texas, and Spokane, Washington. Some groups are beginning to explore adapting the design for use in refugee camps, in areas that have experienced severe power outages such as Texas, and for the increasing number of people in the US who cannot afford utilities.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7nd5x/anarchists-are-building-diy-heaters-to-keep-unhoused-people-warm
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I lived in the Santa Barbara area for many years. Yes, palm trees and no snow, but sleeping outdoors in winter can still kill you. Over the years the faith communities banded together, under the leadership of the Unitarian Society, and formed a network.
So some churches will open up. The Veterans Memorial Building opens up. In the 1990s the old National Guard Armory started opening up. These are designed as “low barrier” places, operating overnight. They are not permanent shelter.
Best of luck to you. And — welcome to DU. 
https://www.edhat.com/news/freedom-warming-centers-now-operated-under-good-samaritan-shelter
Source: Freedom Warming Centers
In 2009, a Santa Barbara resident, known by the name of “Freedom”, died on our streets after being exposed to cold and wet winter weather. Stories like his were far too frequently in the news at that time, and our County’s annual “Homeless Death Report” marked winter after winter of preventable deaths from exposure to the elements.
A group of homeless advocates, faith community, and others began working on solutions that would reduce or eliminate the chances of anyone dying from winter conditions in Santa Barbara County. From those meetings, the Freedom Warming Centers was born.
The Freedom Warming Centers (FWC), a grassroots partnership between nonprofits and faith communities, provide temporary “pop-up” shelter for the County’s people living without homes during dangerously cold or damp weather conditions.
To make this effort sustainable, the Warming Centers needed a fiscal agent, to enable the program’s ability to raise funds, provide staff oversight, and manage the administrative tasks of this critical new program.
The Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara answered that call with the intent to administer the FWC for a few seasons until the program was self-sufficient, or until a service agency could take on the administrative duties.
Those “few years” quickly became twelve seasons! With the successful growth of the program, the Warming Centers now require an organization with larger administrative capacity to support this vital service: an organization whose core mission is to serve our houseless neighbors. …….
Nearly everybody has a “hall” — a multipurpose room with no permanent furniture, often rented out to members of the community, used for everything you can think of. I’ve attended public meetings, receptions for weddings and funerals… But the point is, you’re not asking them to randomly open their sacred space, just the public space.
The Veterans Memorial Building likewise has some very public spaces, and all kinds of events are held there.
I have a feeling you’ll soon be able to think of other spaces — especially since you soon will find others to work with you.
Peace to you as well. May your community be open and accepting. 
