Local homeless shelters are seeing more clients

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — With the colder weather, you are probably staying inside more and turning up the heat. But for those without shelter, this weather is dangerous.

The Valley House Homeless Shelter is seeing more clients come to it for help. They also run the Twin Falls Warming Center, and they are seeing double the number of clients coming in, ranging from 15 to 20 a night. They have also seen 74 new clients come into the center.

Assistant Director Kim Spiers said more people are requesting resources to deal with the cold.

“We’ve definitely had an increasing number of people looking for shelter and also looking for blankets,” Spiers said.

Spiers added that people trying to get out of the cold may have limited daytime options. Krystal McRill, a Twin Falls resident, uses the Valley House and said it provides daytime options.

“They can go to the McDonald’s or to the restaurants and kind of hang out and get warm in there,” McRill said. ”Or, they can go to a friend’s house or stay in the car,” McRill said.

The Twin Falls Warming Center gives people needing shelter a place to escape the elements during the night. However, Spiers said they are concerned about some spots where people have been staying outside for the night.

“Over half have been staying in their car, and then you have another large percentage that have been sleeping either in the canyon or in a tent,” Spiers said.

Josh Palmer, the City of Twin Falls Public Information Coordinator, said the number of homeless individuals has remained the same.

However, they do their part to help keep people out of the cold.

“Say a patrol officer encounters them or we are called out to check on them,” Palmer said. “What we’ll typically do is connect them with resources in the area that provide shelter or services for those individuals.”

Those needing any assistance can reach out to the Valley House. It is located at Addison Avenue and Rose Street and is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also call them at (208) 734-7736 if you have any questions or want to know how to donate.

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