As winter trudges on, homeless shelters in the DeKalb area work together to accommodate the increasing number of those in need.

Homeless shelters and resource facilities Hope Haven, 1145 Rushmoore Drive; the DeKalb Continuum of Care, 223 S. Fourth St.; and Safe Passage find the winter season to be particularly hard on their budgets.

Lesly Wicks, executive director of Hope Haven, said when the temperature falls below freezing, a crowd of people not usually seen during the warmer months fills the shelter.

“Through the winter season, we see more families coming into the shelter, and also people who would typically stay in their cars and in parks through the warmer months,” Wicks said. “When the weather gets like this, we have a ‘no-turn-away’ policy. Finances are especially tight with the state of the economy, but the risk of people staying out in this weather is deadly.”

A 51-year-old male, who wished to remain anonymous, currently staying at Hope Haven said he utilized the police department to get him into the facility. The recession has put him out of work for five and a half weeks.

“I have no family, and very few friends here in the area so securing a place to stay is no easy task,” he said. “During the few nights last week when the wind chill was negative 35, I buried myself in a snow bank but I couldn’t last long.”

The DeKalb CoC provides a warming center for those stuck in the frigid weather, like the aforementioned 51-year-old male.

Sue Guio, community service planner for the DeKalb CoC, said the CoC often helps those who are unable to go to Hope Haven.

“We often help people find means of transportation to other homeless shelters and refer them to Salvation Army for financial assistance,” Guio said. “We do have a warming center, though we do not provide the beds, food and shower facilities that Hope Haven will have.”

Unlike Hope Haven, Safe Passage volunteers have seen a decrease in the number of families coming into the facility this winter, and are grateful for it.

Sylvia Ibarra, shelter coordinator for Safe Passage, said heating expenses for the facility are always high.

“We’re fortunate to be able to provide many of the resources that Hope Haven has, such as linens, meals and beds,” Ibarra said. “We’re happy to see that the number of people coming in this winter has not increased much since the summer.”