Tulsa's homeless shelters are packed

With overnight temperatures dipping into the single digits, the city's homeless shelters are packed. <br><br>Officials say they can offer a warm place to stay for nearly 700 people. That's packing

Tuesday, January 6th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

With overnight temperatures dipping into the single digits, the city's homeless shelters are packed.

Officials say they can offer a warm place to stay for nearly 700 people. That's packing them in, with some sleeping on the floor. It's still not enough room. Some had to be turned away.

The John 3:16 Mission holds a lottery to see who will get a bed. And the number of people on the streets continues to grow. Steve Whitaker with John 3:16: "We try to provide drinks for them to be warm a lot of times they've been out for a long time, maybe down at the day center or wandering the streets trying to find a place to keep warm so they're just too cold takes a while for em to get warmed up."

Shelters say keeping people out of the cold is a matter of life and death. If you see someone in need of help, you can call John 3:16 at 587-1186 or contact Tulsa Police.