Temperatures dropped to the teens and single digits in Northeast Indiana over the weekend, and more bitter weather is expected this week.
Bitter cold temperatures forced the City of Fort Wayne to activate its winter weather contingency plan, which aims to provide warming centers and shelter to the homeless.
The Rescue Mission hosts two warming centers. The City also opens its community center when it reaches below ten degrees.
The Rescue Mission offers overnight accommodations for men in the area, but agency CEO Pastor Donovan Coley says the location is overcapacity.
He says dining areas and chapels will be used as makeshift rooms for the increased influx of residents.
“We have other partners in our community here, so that if there is an overflow here, we will connect with our friends at the Salvation Army; there’s just so much help in our community that there should not be an overcrowding,” said Coley.
Luis Acosta is the Captain of the Fort Wayne Salvation Army, and he says his organization has the manpower and resources to help the Rescue Mission when necessary.
“We start moving around. We have volunteers together to open our gym and turn it into a shelter,” said Acosta. “We put cots and blankets out in the shelter, and the Rescue Mission brings in those people that were staying here.”
The winter weather contingency plan was activated on Sunday, and will run through Wednesday.
