This was no night to spend outdoors, but that’s just where Dusty Soulier was headed.

 

It was 10:30 p.m. on March 24, an unseasonably frigid night, as Soulier left Eau Claire’s Sojourner House homeless shelter for the streets.

 

The shelter was full beyond its 48-person capacity on this night, and Soulier was among a handful of people told there was no room for them. So he put on his stocking cap, grabbed his backpack and left the shelter’s warmth for a night on which the wind chill reading would near 20 degrees below zero.

 

“It’s cold out here. There’s no doubt about that,” Soulier said matter-of-factly. “But you do what you gotta do.”

 

Soulier is no stranger to surviving extreme cold on the street. Homeless since he arrived in Eau Claire last summer, Soulier, 27, spent numerous nights this winter outdoors, surviving subzero temperatures.

 

He lay on the unforgiving stone surface of the city’s downtown parking ramp, his body shivering too much to sleep. He curled up on benches and lay in other out-of-the way spots. On some nights he zigzagged up one street and down another all night, logging mile after mile as he tried to generate enough body heat to survive the harsh winter weather.

 

On this night Soulier walked under the glare of downtown streetlights, gripping his backpack straps with bare hands as a brisk wind from the north bit his face. He talked about his past, about his difficult childhood and bad surroundings and poor choices. He discussed his determination to work his way out of homelessness. Most days Soulier goes to a temporary employment service in search of a job. Sometimes he finds work. He spent many days this winter stacking cases of beer, continuing that task even after he injured his shoulder.

 

As he strode along mostly silent streets, Soulier spoke about homelessness, about the struggles of life on the streets.

 

He voiced his frustration at living among other homeless people. He talked about the challenge of maintaining a positive outlook amid the challenges he faces.

 

“But that’s what I’ve got to do,” he said. “I’m going to keep working hard and doing what I need to do to get to a better place.”

 

As he took a right turn and headed up a steep hill on downtown’s east side, his footsteps on the icy sidewalk the only sounds on this otherwise silent, starry night, Soulier discussed his future aspirations. He hopes to attend college, he said. He hopes to one day help homeless people find shelter from the streets. He hopes to provide them with counseling and others services to better their lives.

 

“I want to make a difference for people,” he said.

 

But on this cold night those aspirations seemed a world away. Soulier had a more immediate concern: staying warm. He took another turn, into the wind, and kept walking, one step at a time.