Area homeless shelters are packed Monday night as parts of the Coastal Bend will see below freezing temperatures and wind chills of even lower.
“It’s not home, but it’s off the streets,” Michael West, who is homeless, said. “It’s going to be cold tonight.”
West chose to ride out the cold night at the Salvation Army in Corpus Christi. The charity has two shelters at the same location on Josephine Street. One is for men only. The other is for women and families.
“Men, women, children, and veterans in the community are welcome to come to the Salvation Army if they’re in need of food and especially shelter in the cold weather right now,” the community relations and development coordinator for the Corpus Christi-branch of the Red Cross Monica Barrera said.
The Salvation Army expected 20 to 40 people to come seeking shelter Monday night. It takes a lot of coordination to run the shelter, but Barrera says it’s worth it.
“These individuals, they’re just down on their luck,” Barrera said. “When you can be a part of helping these individuals, it feels really good. It feels like you’re really giving back to the community.”
The local homeless community is thankful for their efforts. West shuttered to think about possibly having to sleep outside in cold, windy conditions.
“Just go find some place to hide and try to stay warm,” West said. “Because it’s going to be cold. It’s going to be cold.”
