No One Should Freeze

A Public Apology to the Unhoused Community

It has taken me some time to process the interview that Tateona Williams gave about her two children losing their lives to hypothermia in their van a week ago. It broke me in ways I cannot explain while leading in the nonprofit space—in the fight against homelessness.

I kept thinking, what did she tell her children the night before?

“Don’t worry, it won’t be like this forever…”

“I will keep you warm…”

“I am sorry we are cold…”

Tateona Williams and her two children sought shelter in their van outside the Hollywood Casino at Greektown in Detroit—Photo credit: WXYZ-TV Detroit)

We do not know her exact words at that moment. But one thing we do know is the weight of her tears as she shared the unbearable pain in her voice as she spoke about losing them.¹

“My son wasn’t moving. I kept saying, ‘Get up. Please get up. Don’t do this to me.’”²

She rushed him to the hospital, only to hear the words no mother should ever have to hear—the freezing temperatures had claimed her son and daughter.

Two children, lost to the cold.

She shared that, despite her relentless efforts to seek help before the tragedy, she was turned away by programs and said:

“Everybody now wants to help after I lost two kids. I’ve been asking for help.”

“I called out of state. I called cities I didn’t know.”³

You read that right—she was turned away!

Although her story is uniquely her own, I felt her pain. I have lost community members experiencing homelessness over the years, battling unfavorable weather conditions. It brought up so many emotions and reminded me of the cries from the community that I love:

“I don’t know how I will feed my family.”

“I don’t know how I will stay warm in my tent.”

“I lost a family member, and now I have nowhere to go…”

“I don’t know how I will get to the hospital because I don’t have insurance.”

Their voices, struggles, and reality are a constant reminder—to me and to all of us—that far too many are left without the basic dignity of safety, shelter, proximity, and care.

Exhaustion and suffering are everywhere. They are in the faces of those fighting to survive and those working tirelessly to serve wherever they are. They are in the offices of nonprofits and shelters running out of space and resources.⁴

I Apologize

To the unhoused community, I want to offer a public apology:

I apologize that we live in a world where people—and even children—can lose their lives to freezing temperatures while others look away.

I apologize that society sometimes celebrates greed but does not know how to sit with those suffering—simply because they do not have an address.

I apologize that some leaders have responded to the rising crisis of homelessness with distance, laws, and punishment rather than collective action.

I apologize for the laws that have made it harder for you to survive in a system where there are not enough resources, not enough beds, and, too often, not enough shelter.

I apologize for every public sweep and encampment closure that pushed you further into isolation and caused you to lose everything instead of bringing you closer to safety.

I apologize for the stigma that so many hold against you, even when they have never taken the time to know you or your story.

I apologize that your dignity is so often trampled on by those who have never lived your experience.

I apologize that we have normalized seeing people without a home, as if this is just the way things are.

I apologize that some turn away when they should lean in with proximity and presence. I want you to know that I feel the weight of this reality, I see you, and I know it does not have to be this way.

I apologize.

Ms. Williams’ children should still be here.

But she is not alone⁵—there are countless others we must refuse to ignore, no matter how much stigma or distance tries to convince us otherwise.

The Question

A leader asked me the other day how I am staying motivated, grounded, and inspired during this moment in time, and the truth is—I am not.

I am not trying to manufacture inspiration because the reality is that many people are suffering, and I believe we will see even more tragedy as the year unfolds.

But what I can say is that I find hope in my commitment—to continue doing all I can to serve, to stand in solidarity with those who have the courage to suffer, and to honor my own heaviness as I witness the heartbreak of it all.

For me, this moment is not about manufacturing inspiration. It is about faithfulness. It is about caring for myself to stay present in the work. It is about never forgetting why I started.

And if we all just look around, there are more than enough reminders of why goodness, justice, love, compassion, and service to humanity are needed.

Because no one—and I mean no child—should ever have to freeze.

1. That night in Detroit, she and her children—Darnell, 9, and Amillah, 2—took shelter inside their van, parked near a building, trying to survive freezing temperatures. She recounted her shock when she realized something was wrong with her son the following morning.

2. Feighan, Maureen, and Julia Cardi. “Mom of Two Children Who Froze to Death Said She’d Been ‘Asking for Help’.” The Detroit News, February 12, 2025. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2025/02/12/mom-two-children-detroit-casino-homelss-parking-structure-asking-for-help/78464641007/

3. Ibid.

4. And hopefully, in city halls across the country, there is not exhaustion but deep concern, accountability, and a commitment to thoughtful policies that genuinely protect this community.

5. WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7, “Detroit Mother Speaks Out After Losing Two Children to Hypothermia,” YouTube video, 5:10, February 12, 2025,

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Listen to the Imgaine Dignity Podcast [HERE]

Order “Zion Learns To See: Opening Our Eyes To Homelessness” [HERE]

If you want to explore homelessness in the U.S., please consider reading “I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People.”

Explore my book “When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together” to learn about the impact of community involvement and collective action on social change.

Discover “All God’s Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity to gain insight into the significance of understanding the historical narratives that shape people and how you might stand in solidarity with your neighbor.

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