Folks Beat the Heat in Local Shelters
More people taking refuge from heat in homeless shelters
-
As temperatures climb so do the number of people taking refuge in homeless shelters. Video by kmtv.com
video
Omaha, NE - As temperatures climb so do the number of people taking refuge in homeless shelters. "The other day we had a gentleman come in off the streets who was gonna try to stay here and he had heat stroke and the paramedics had to come and take him to the hospital," Robert Wilson said.
Robert Wilson is one of more than 100 guests at the Stephen Center. The shelter typically houses around 70 people but with the extreme heat they're putting mattresses on the floor. "The rooms are all full, there's a lot of people sleeping in close quarters we're also putting a lot of mats down in the kitchen and dining area," Cindy Oelke said.
The Stephen Center isn't the only overcrowded shelter. The Siena-Francis house is also seeing a record number of people. During the summer months, the number of residents at the Siena-Francis house increases by 50-percent. Tonight one room alone will hold more than 200 people sleeping in both the beds and on the floor.
Fans work nonstop to keep people cool because the air conditioning in one building has gone out. "It's stressful on the staff. It's stressful on the facility so we've had a lot of breakdowns, heating and air problems and water and shower problems, so we have to attend to those all the time," Mark Sakler said.
If you'd like to make a donation to the Siena-Francis house visit www.sienafrancis.org. For information on how to help the Stephen Center visit www.stephencenter.org
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.