New Orleans Shelters Bump Up Capacity As Temperatures Plummet

Prolonged frigid temperatures in New Orleans prompted city officials to launch their "freeze plan" Sunday.

Shelters around the city are increasing available beds and amending usual standards for nightly admission to provide temporary refuge for the thousands of homeless and squatters facing piercing cold this week.

The Times-Picayune reports that:

So far, on Sunday and Monday nights, some of the city's 686 beds remained unfilled. But [UNITY of Greater New Orleans head Martha] Kegel and her staff believe that may change as the week goes on. Even on Monday morning, frigid overnight temps had rattled a group that lives in tents along the river in Algiers -- some of the most "hardcore, don't believe in shelter" homeless people that UNITY caseworker Mike Miller knows. "After last night, we're going to think about it," they told him on Tuesday morning as he offered them a ride to a shelter. He left with a promise to check back later in the day.

To read more about the city's preparations for the continued cold temperatures, visit NOLA.com.

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