DeKALB | As the blistering cold of winter comes into full swing, DeKalb’s homeless community is left with few places to escape the harsh weather.

DeKalb’s Hope Haven homeless shelter, 316 N. Sixth St., offers a place where DeKalb County’s homeless can receive assistance.

During the winter, the shelter sees an influx of homeless people.

“We always get more people in the winter,” said Jameelah Rheaves, the transitional housing manager of Hope Haven.

The shelter is generally made up of more men than women, said Gary Chapman, the associate director of the Hope Haven homeless shelter.

“Most of the people here are men, but there are a lot of single women with children too,” Chapman said.

The center offers two types of housing: transitional and emergency.

The emergency shelter, which is for single individuals without families, gives the homeless a place to live for 90 days. The program also works with the individual to help with employment, education and becoming independent. This is achieved through weekly meetings with Hope Haven’s staff. The shelter works with other organizations to ensure the individual is employed and has a place to live at the end of the 90 days.

The transitional housing, which is for families, offers assistance for two years. Also, participants in this program pay rent depending on the amount of their income.

“This helps [homeless families] become more independent,” Rheaves said.

In addition to beds and meals, Chapman said the shelter offers “warming centers” this time of year, of which no one can be turned down until maximum capacity. However, priority is given to people from DeKalb County.

“We usually have room for people in need of emergency shelter,” Chapman said. “We have enough room to hold about 75 people every night,”

However, once the shelter is full, no one else is able to be admitted.

“Once we’re full, we’re full,” Rheaves said. “We encourage [homeless people] to stay with churches or other religious organizations.”

Chapman said the shelter is able to help the homeless because of the intense support from local area churches.

“There is great community support. Without the churches in the area, we wouldn’t have a Hope Haven,” Chapman said.

Ryan Strong is a city reporter for the Northern Star.