CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Local charities spent Monday preparing to help hundreds of homeless people in the Charlotte area get out of the cold.
“When the weather drops below 30 degrees, we’ll open up our dining room for women and children that need to come out of the cold,” said Deronda Metz, director of the Salvation Army Center of Hope.
The shelter for women and children is usually over capacity, according to Metz. It houses up to 400 women and children each night, including during the summer.
People who enter the overflow area this week because of the cold will have to sleep on the floor.
Metz said the large number of people the shelter houses regularly is proof of a housing crisis in Charlotte.
“I don't think we're going to be able to build enough homes to address the homeless issue. We have an inflow of people coming into the shelters because they can't afford housing,” she said.
She said things have gotten so bad she’s noticed more families sleeping in cars.