KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Most people in Kansas City would agree that blistering winter weather has bypassed the city. However, winter weather is supposed to strike over the next few days.
Cold weather can be deadly for people who are homeless and living on the street. The City Union Mission has opened an extra room to give people a place to keep warm.
“I’m very thankful when these people let me come in two nights ago,” said Randal Scott. “I don’t know how to thank them.”
Randal Scott, 57, says he was living with a friend until last week and came to the shelter because he doesn’t want to live under a city bridge as he did previously.
“Oh well, you can freeze, you can lose your life,” Scott said. “I had five coats ad two pairs of pants and two socks.”
Scott says you have to deal with mother nature and human nature can take a toll on you, too when you live on the streets.
“We had a guy die about two months ago,” said Jerry Courtright. “I think it was two months ago. He was up at the park and he froze to death up at the park.”
Coutright says he’s been homeless on and off since 1985. Like Scott, he’s glad he can come to the City Union Mission to relax and watch t-v instead of roaming the streets and freezing.
“It helps a lot coming here,” Courtright said. “I can take a shower everyday, get clean clothes everyday. You’ve see they got wash machine and stuff so we can wash our clothes.”
Dan Doty, the executive director at the City Union Mission says on Friday night the shelter housed about 300 men. Doty says when the beds are full and the mattresses have been given out to accommodate people, the shelter still keeps its doors open.
“Even if they get full we don’t turn men away,” Doty said. “Even if they are just sitting up they’re at least out of the cold.”
Doty says when the weather is nice people usually leave the shelter around 7 a.m. They are not allowed to return to sign up for a bed until 3:30 p.m. With the weather expected to be in the single digits, Doty says the mission will remain open during the day to give people a place to keep warm.
