Homeless Shelters Filling Up

Due to the falling temperatures, shelters across Mid-Missouri are already seeing a rise in those needing a place to stay.Shelters like Harbor House are preparing to take more people in and have pulled out cots to accommodate more people.One homeless man, Roger, says days when it is cold and rainy are the most unbearable.”It’s like you can’t sleep and everything is wet and damp and you don’t know where to go and you’re just out there in the cold,” said Roger. ”You just feel like you’re lost. It’s a miserable feeling you know.”Shelters understand those feelings and are preparing for an influx of people needing a place to stay. The Harbor House normally has 61 beds for people to stay overnight, but when weather gets colder, the home brings out cots to accommodate additional people.”It’s not safe for people to be outside in this cold weather,” said Salvation Army regional director Cyndi Champan. “When we have a cold front like today that’s coming through, we have a huge influx of people wanting shelter, wanting that warm evening meal, wanting a place of safety where they can sleep for the night.”The Harbor House is a substance-free shelter, meaning those that stay there will not be able to use drugs. They also must be cleared through the police. Harbor House staff run checks on sex offenders and is the only shelter that takes in families.