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Cold weather puts strain on Mission |
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Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:30 |
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The cold weather we experienced over the weekend put a strain on many of us, but it's especially difficult on the homeless and those who provide shelter for the homeless. Black Hills FOX reporter Cheryl Lee visited the Cornerstone Rescue Mission in Rapid City Tuesday to find out what the shelter is doing to brave the cold.
The Cornerstone Rescue Mission is already feeling the chill this winter. In addition to feeding four to five hundred meals a day, housing is particularly tight this year. Cornerstone Rescue Mission's Andrea Denke says, "Our numbers at the women's shelter are up the most and we're bursting at the seams. We have on any given day four to five families we need to get into the facility. So we're trying to get people housed as quickly as we can so we can do that." According to Cornerstone, to make ends meet on minimum wage in Rapid City, a person would have to work two full time jobs. The mission helps the homeless find permanent housing, and in the mean time supports two emergency facilities--one for women and children, one for male civilians and veterans. Denke says, "We don't want to turn anybody away, especially families with children, so what we really try to do is really partner with other agencies to make sure that they're housed, we have overflow spots at our emergency shelters, both the men's and soon to be the women's, where folks can stay for a few nights while we're figuring out what we're going to do with them next." One element that adds even more pressure during the winter months is the cost of electric and gas utilities, which typically increase 30 to 40 percent this time of year. Denke says, "All of our facilities, obviously, in the winter time our electric and our gas go through the roof. We house a lot of people, and with that we're heating water so that they can take hot showers. We're making sure that the living areas are warm, and safe." Cornerstone receives limited funding from the state and Veterans Administration, but much of their money comes from community generosity and public donations. In Rapid City, I'm Cheryl Lee, Black Hills FOX News. |
