People throughout Acadiana are getting ready for the cold weather this week and that includes homeless shelters.
Any time temperatures decrease, the number of homeless people who reach out to shelters increases.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 700 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, are killed from hypothermia annually in the United States. Catholic Charities of Acadiana wants to curb that statistic

“The fact that anyone would have to sleep on the streets is an emergency. We believe that sleeping on the street is dangerous for anybody,” says Ben Broussard with the organization.

He adds, “On any given night we will shelter roughly 85 men here at our St. John campus. When the temperatures get low and dangerously cold, we will expect a bump in that.”

Broussard says because this bump is something they see annually, planning ahead is what allows them to provide for their clients. “We’ve made arrangements for people to have night-time sleeping arrangements here at our shelter. We’re ready for the cold weather, we’re ready for anything.”

He tells News 10 that the shelter is currently running at a $300,000 deficit, but with the increase in clients coming up, the organization feels they have to stay open.

“We believe that it’s the right thing to do, so we continue to do it,” explains Broussard, “But we ask and we appeal to the community to support us.”

Broussard says monetary donations go a long way, especially in these colder months coming up. To donate, you can click here.

The organization also has an Amazon wish-list that people can order items from and ship directly to the shelter.