SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV) - Homeless shelters are overflowing this year in Onondaga County and it could get worse as temperatures drop.
Nichole Montgomery and her three kids were forced out of their home right before Christmas due to a carbon monoxide leak.
"Oh, they just wanted me out immediately. They shut off everything, so when they shut off everything, I had to leave because it was cold,” said Montgomery.
She landed at the Salvation Army's family shelter where every bed is full.
"We used to have breaks where there were empty beds here and there. We're getting no breaks this year. Not only are we not getting breaks, but we're packing people in,” said Liddy Hintz with the Salvation Army.
Single women represent the fastest growing group. But at the Rescue Mission, there is no room left for men.
"It surprises me that as warm as the weather has been right now that we are starting to see our shelter overflow…and all that we can offer them when that happens is basically a chair and a waiting room,” said Rescue Mission COO Alan Thornton.
When room runs out for women and children, the Department of social services will cover hotel rooms. Onondaga County paid hotels roughly $300,000 last year and shelter workers don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
"At one point this summer, there were 150 people in hotels with all of the shelters full. 150 people in hotels. That's unheard of. That's never happened before,” said Hintz.
Hintz says drugs, the economy, and unsuitable housing drive the rising need. The county's cost per hotel room is roughly the same as the Salvation Army spends per person to shelter, feed and help clients find new housing.
"It's not always perfect and family comes first and you need stuff to survive and right now these people are really helping us survive,” said 13-year-old Treyquwan Rucker who is staying in a shelter.
"It kind of makes you feel good to be around people who are going through the same thing because it lets you know that you're not the only one,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery expects to have a home by the New Year, opening up four more beds at the shelter for the next family.
$20,000 would add 20 beds at the Salvation Army. The county will wait to see if the trend continues before investing in a shelter expansion.
