As that cold weather moves in, local homeless shelters are gearing up for the influx of people they're going to have. WFMZ's Jennifer Joas is live tonight at the Hope Rescue Mission in Reading with more. Jenn?>> The shelters aim to get any homeless men, women and children off the streets...so no one freezes to death this winter.>>EMMANUEL streeter: "When it gets cold, it makes me want to just bundle up and stay warm." >>reporter: Emmanuel Streeter is preparing himself for the blustery cold weather that's expected to hit Berks County. He temporarily lives at the Opportunity House -- a shelter for men, women and children in Reading -- which provides programs to get people back on their feet. And when the cold weather hits, people flock there for shelter.>>DELIA mclendon: "We can get up to 30 or 40 people on the floor a night because our objective is to make sure nobody freezes to death in our community." >>reporter: But both the Opportunity House and the Hope Rescue Mission are expecting evenmore homeless people over the next few days, because a third shelter in the city is closed. City Lights Ministries normally houses 45 men and women during the winter months. But...it was condemned last spring for not having a sprinkler system. It has since gotten a sprinkler system installed and a boiler.. It's also upgraded to a commercial kitchen and handicapped bathroom. But the facility still won't be open until Thanksgiving. So staff at both shelters started gearing up for the inease.>>FRANK grill: "We started stocking up in early September in preparation like nights what we're going to have tomorrow.">>REPORTER: But the shelters now need the public's help. The Opportunity House is collecting extra blankets and warm clothing such as hats, gloves and scarves...while the Hope Rescue Mission needs military style cots for the people to sleep on.>>REPORTER: It's all to help people like Streeter get back on their feet...and provide them with motivation to move forward. >>streeter: "Opportunity to make yourself happen."Opportunity House is taking in women or couples, while the Hope Rescue Mission is taking single men. Live in Reading, Jennifer Joas, 69 News.>>>
from 69News:Home http://ift.tt/1Hde6ng
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire