Cold Weather Shelter Closes

A temporary cold shelter closes today despite cold weather continuing in hit Mid-Missouri. ‘Room at the Inn’ has been using the facilities at the United Methodist Church off Wilkes Rd. in Columbia for the past two months. Over the eight weeks, more than 170 guests stayed at the facility to get away from the cold weather. But the facility is only open for so long and those without a home are left to find a new place to stay. There are alternatives in Mid-Missouri but that challenge is that most of the other shelters are already filled to capacity. “A lot of folks that were here with us for the short term are either looking to go to find some place to camp or live cars. They’ll couch surf for awhile that kinda thing, or pan handle around town to try to get a hotel room,” Pastor Meg Hegemann says. ABC 17’s storm track team says temperatures have been below average last month and we saw more snow this winter than years in the past.