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Groups Working to Bring Homeless in from the Cold

Cleveland's 19 city-funded shelters have been in extreme-weather mode since Tuesday, and that means they're open around the clock for people who need to warm up.

Brian Davis, with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, said when it's this cold, the Coalition sends teams to libraries and meal programs, where homeless people might be in the daytime.

"We go there and make sure they have a place to go at night, see if they need a ride anywhere," he said. "We check back when the libraries are closing to make sure there aren't people who are straggling and would have to spend the night outside."

The teams take people to the county's weekend drop-in center, which opens every night in severe cold, Davis said. He said they’ve helped about 100 people since Monday. They also give out cold-weather gear.

Davis said outreach is needed because the warming centers publicized by the United Way and others are far from most of the homeless population, downtown.