The hard freeze slamming into the Houston area is causing a run on space at Star of Hope emergency shelters and the need for donations of sleeping bags and soft bed mats, officials said.
All 300 beds at their downtown men’s center are taken and officials with the social service agency expect an additional 50-100 homeless men to seek shelter there Thursday night.
“We try never to turn anyone away. So after our beds are full, we turn to the alternative — available floor space,” said Mary Chapman Cantu, vice-president for development at the agency.
The nearby Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Center is also at full capacity. All 278 beds are taken and an additional 50-100 women and children are warm and safe in the large atrium floor, officials said Thursday night.
Officials are asking the public to donate sleeping bags, soft bed mats, blankets, warm coats and gloves at their men’s center, 1811 Ruiz, during normal business hours — 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We’d love to supply each one of our ‘overflow’ guests with a soft bed mat but we simply don’t have enough,” Cantu said. “Between the women and family shelter and the men’s center, we could use about 100 more.”
Via: Chron.com
