Cold weather alert: Star of Hope rushes to help homeless during freeze

HOUSTON – As the temperatures continues to drop, homeless shelters like Star of Hope are on "cold weather alert" to help as many people as possible. 

The elevated status allows them to sleep more people than usual. 

The downtown Men's Center, which is located at 1811 Ruiz, was over capacity on New Year's Eve and is are expecting to see triple or double those numbers because of the cold temperatures. 

"The first night of the arctic blast, we're already over capacity at the Men's Center downtown and we had 310 men stay with us," said Scott Arthur, a spokesperson for Star of Hope.  "That included 25 that slept on the floor on a mat." 

He said their capacity is around 305 people, but they can add another 100 in extreme conditions. 

When it comes to women and families, The Women and Family Development Center at Star of Hope's Cornerstone Community has limited space. 

Arthur said they were currently helping about 180 single women and 150 families. 

Families needing shelter can call 713-748-0700. 

The shelter is asking for clothing donations like new or gently used blankets, hats, coats and gloves, and financial assistance. 

"We need help in keeping ladies, kids and gentleman on the streets warm, and the best way (is) to get someone to donate a coat. It's a new year; lets get some new clothes and go through your closet and get a warm coat," said Arthur.  

HOW TO DONATE:

Star of Hope has a downtown Distribution Center, located at 2320 Lamar, and Hope's Cornerstone Community, located at 2575 Reed Road at Hwy. 288. 

People can drop off donations Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.