A local nonprofit works to make room at its homeless shelters when the weather is extremely cold.
A report shows groups in the Appleton and Oshkosh areas saw a six-year high in the number of people needing a place to stay last year.
Pillars Executive Director Joe Mauthe says they don’t turn away people when the temperature drops below 10 degrees. He says they do encourage people to reach out to family or friends for a place to stay.
The agency’s adult shelter on W. College Avenue has a 60-person capacity, and Mauthe says they’ll stretch that to the high 60s or low 70s when it’s cold. The adult and family shelter on Division Street pushes its 80-person capacity into the high 80s.
