HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The cold weather shelters in Hillsborough County will stay open for people who need them.
Pinellas County shelters are preparing to open over the next few weeks, but they need your help.
"People are having to work two and three jobs to make ends meet, so you are seeing people who lost their homes because maybe they couldn't afford it anymore, a life incident happened, or they lost their job," said Felicia Crosby-Rucker, Director of Hillsborough County Homeless and Community Services.
Organizers said they've seen a huge increase in the number of people needing a warm place to stay compared to last year.
"What we are seeing is a lot of families, a lot of families. Metropolitan Ministries housed about 25 families last night, about 80 people. Congregate shelters, an estimate of about 80 people were in there, predominantly women," said Rucker.
"Every year, we are seeing increases in the number of families and individuals who are homeless right now, sadly. So you know, during cold night times, it makes it even more of a challenge," said Monika Alesnik, CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance in Pinellas County.
Alesnik said she doesn't expect that number to decrease any time soon.
"Last year, we had over 2,000 people come to cold night shelters over the course of six nights. That's a lot of people needing help and support," she said.
Rucker said the first night of cold shelters was Tuesday night, and places like the Hyde Park United Methodist Church were at capacity.
"We've seen an increase, a significant increase in calls. We know there is a need," said Rucker.
Alesnik said cold shelter organizations need blankets, cots, and monetary donations, but they also need volunteers.
"Every year, we need more and more people to help to sign people in or even read to a kid," said Alesnik.
Because so many shelters are already hitting capacity, organizations are asking other places to open their own cold shelters just in case they need more room.
Rucker said organizations just need space and volunteers to work throughout the night in order to open a cold night shelter.
"This is an opportunity for the community to come together once again where they are and provide that temporary shelter for them during these cold conditions," said Rucker.
Hillsborough County shelters are opening their doors to those in need Wednesday night, including Tampa Bay Mission of Hope, New Life Church, and Legacy Church.
