Roanoke Rescue Mission CEO Joy Sylvester-Johnson says the extreme heat has put them at capacity.
Wednesday night all of the shelter's beds were packed. On Tuesday night, the shelter hosted 392 men, women, and children. That's the most they've had since the mission opened in 1948.
"It's not unusual for us to approach 300 to 325, but now that we're approaching 400, that's quite an increase for us,” said Johnson.
Some areas, like the men's shelter, have gotten so full, they've pulled out mats for people to sleep on the floor.
"We can pull out the mats, so we don't have to turn anyone away. It's better to be inside on a mat, than outside in this heat,” said Johnson.
As the mercury's risen, so has the Rescue Mission's electricity bill. In June, the mission spent nearly $18,000.
During the day people go to the RAM House, but it's a long hot walk across town. The Rescue Mission has decided to offer a van service starting next week, to help folks in need beat the heat.
"We have the vans, we have the people who need transporting, and we have a sister partner in RAM house. And what we need now are some volunteer van drivers,” said Johnson.
Joy says the heat is driving lunch line numbers to an all time high as well. This week, volunteers have been serving between 800 and 1,000 meals per day.
Johnson hopes the temperatures come down soon, but in the mean time, the mission will do what it can to help those less fortunate deal with the heat.
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