As temperatures begin to drop, the numbers tend to rise in homeless shelters across the country.
At the beginning of November, David Taylor began staying at My Brother's Keeper in Waco.
"That one snap we had was really cold. It got down to like 28, 29 wind chill and the shelter was full," Taylor said.
Taylor was released from jail in October and is working to get his life back on track. With help from the Mission Waco Meyer Center, he's already found himself a job. The shelter is serving as his temporary home while he saves up for his own place.
"I have no one I can call," Taylor said. "If I didn't have a place to go, I wouldn't know where to go."
With 56 beds, My Brother's Keeper offers a safe space for men and women to lay their heads - but those spaces fill up quick during the holiday season.
"We've had evenings in the past where every bed was filled," said Jimmy Dorrell, executive director of Mission Waco. "We had mattresses on the floor here as well as in the Meyer Center."
Dorrell said it takes about $15 a day to support each resident and that the costs continue to add up throughout the winter months.
"Supplies, electricity, all those things go up because of the cost of this time of year," Dorrell said.
Right now, My Brother's Keeper is in need of donations to help provide shelter and hope to as many people as possible.
"It can be depressing if you don't have someone or some place. My Brother's Keeper is that place," Taylor said. "I wish there was something I could do for them since they've done so much for me."
Dorrell said they are also looking for people interested in making the holidays special for their residents. He said some community members already plan on dropping off treats, setting up decorations and planning parties for the people staying at My Brother's Keeper.
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