Major George Patterson with the Salvation Army in Bradenton is dealing with a new problem.
“We’ve reached capacity in our shelter,” said Patterson.
He said the cold weather is bringing in more people than ever before. Patterson said they normally take in about 100 people per night, but this week they’ve been taking in about 150 per night.
“There’s only been five we haven’t been able to accommodate,” said Patterson.
He said they’ve asked fire officials to increase capacity at the shelter. They’ve also asked nearby churches to open their doors.
“We’ve never had to be concerned about this before,” said Patterson.
A homeless man named James said he was turned away during the cold weather snap.
"I stood in line for two hours and got to the front desk and they said they are full,” said James.
Major Patterson said nobody should be turned away the rest of the week, because they are ready to handle the cold weather influx.
If you would like to help or volunteer at the Bradenton Salvation Army click here.
