Houston's homeless brace for coldest night of the season

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Houston's homeless are by no means spared from this arctic blast, actually feeling the most extreme conditions.

40-year-old German Izarnotegui knows all too well what those freezing temperatures can feel like on the streets.

"You get sick and tired of being out there," said German Izarnotegui who was homeless, living on Houston's streets for nearly two years. "Trying to find shelter, a meal to eat, you know, a bed to lay yourself on."

When asked what to do to stay warm, Izarnotegui said, "just basically bundle up."

Sure the city is spared from feeling the brunt of this arctic chill, but when it creeps this far south, thousands of Houston's homeless are forced to bundle up or seek shelter.

"They choose to be there. They don't want to give up their independence. They don't want to be told what to do. They don't want to give up their drugs or their alcohol," said Scott Arthur who's the Director of Public Relations for Star of Hope, an outreach program for the homeless.

Izarnotegui was one of Houston's homeless who decided to seek help from Star of Hope and begin, what he calls, a life changing journey.

"I think that I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired," said Izarnotegui.

Star of Hope, according to Arthur, had around 310 homeless men stay overnight on New Year's Eve at their men's shelter meaning around 25 had to sleep on the floor. "We expect that to probably double or even triple by the time the week is over," said Arthur.

Meanwhile, the women and children's shelter at Cornerstone Community is nearing capacity, too.

"The kids who are actually leaving our facility and getting on a school bus, that's a long walk and that's a cold walk, and we need help there," said Arthur.

Star of Hope is asking for coats, blankets and warm clothes as this may not be the only bout of freezing cold that Houston will taste.

"On this New Year, we could use some old clothes and a great gift of warmth," said Arthur.

Star of Hope has 2 drop off locations:

Downtown:
2320 Lamar St.
Houston, TX. 77003

South Houston:
Cornerstone Community
2575 Reed Rd.
Houston, TX. 77051