Shelters opening up extra hours to take in homeless during cold weather

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - With temperatures continuing to drop all over Houston, some shelters are expanding hours to help take in more people.

Just underneath Highway 59, folks have set up tents and grills to keep warm. Star of Hope's main shelter for men right down the road currently has about 320 beds full, but officials say they will do what they can to accept more residents. At the Women and Family Development Center, the beds are also almost at capacity as well, but officials say they will try to take more people on a case by case basis.

We talked with one man staying at the shelter who says he is grateful for what Star of Hope has done for him.

"What I was doing was around garbage cans, we would vacant houses, around Metro bus stops, we would build fires, we would try to scrum up some change to get alcohol, some cheap wine to stay warm and cigarettes and stuff like that," says Kevin Hopkins, who has now been clean for months and plans to become a minister.

"We are constantly reaching out to the street homeless and there is hundreds and hundreds out there who just do not want to come into a shelter. There's a lot of mental illness out there, there's a lot of drug use out there and they are not making good decisions so we are constantly reaching out to them and saying come into a shelter. But it's really important now that the weather is going to be bitterly cold and maybe even life-threatening cold," says director of public relations Scott Arthur.

Currently, Star of Hope is asking for monetary donations, as well as hats, scarves, coats and blankets.