Jackson Homeless Shelters Open in Frigid Temperatures

Additional homeless shelters opened their doors overnight on Monday due to freezing temperatures in the metropolitan area.

At "The Opportunity Center" in Jackson - which is typically a daytime assistance center - a Salvation Army Food Truck made a stop to make sure people were being fed.

The center has about 700 people on its rolls but coordinators did not expect that many people to show up. They're capacity might actually be closer to 70 people, one coordinator said.

"But it's all about just really getting to know these folks. These folks are just like us and have issues and problems just like us. They're just in different circumstances," Christie Burnett, director of the Opportunity Center, said.

"The problem is, with the bitter cold tonight, within 30 minutes you could begin to experience frostbite. Even with clothes and even with shoes and with socks you can begin to get frostbite. Some of the folks that sleep outside or under the bridges or under the gazebos or things like that - they don't have the proper insulation," Capt. Ken Chapman with Jackson Salvation Army said.

"And many of them are mentally ill and don't even know how to take care of themselves," Chapman said.

Copiah County homeless shelters also opened on Monday night.

In Jackson, homeless shelter coordinators say they're also expecting to open their doors again tomorrow as temperature may be below freezing.

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Jackson Homeless Shelters Open in Frigid Temperatures