Dorothy Day House of Berkeley

In this year’s homeless point-in-time count, it was reported that 1,108 persons currently experience homelessness in the city of Berkeley, an increase of 14 percent since the last count in 2017.

The UC Berkeley Sikh Student Association partnered with the Dorothy Day House, which hosts a daily breakfast for the local homeless population, to give away jackets and other winter necessities to Berkeley’s homeless residents Thursday.

Visions of turkey dinners and family festivities mark the coming of the holiday season, but for the homeless of Berkeley, the coming weeks are known more for their cold, wet nights than for holiday cheer.