CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Cold weather has been the cause of several homeless deaths this year.
"43 individuals passed away this last year and I would probably say half of them were due to cold weather," The Salvation Army's Social Services Director and President of the Homeless Issues Partnership Kyle Knuteson said.
That number, Knuteson said, only represents the number of deaths officials know about.
He said the number could be significantly higher.
The Salvation Army's shelter is planning for the upcoming cold snap.
"Our plans as of right now are to open our doors to the public -- at the very latest would be Thursday," Knutson said. "As the weather changes and it looks like it's getting colder quicker, we'll open our doors sooner than that."
The Salvation Army's Abbie Cieslak showed 3NEWS one of the group's main shelters, which is capable of housing up to 120 people.
"We don't want anybody out on the streets in the cold," she said. "We want there to be a place to go. So as you can see we have our mattresses out getting ready."
There is a plan to add 120 more beds if the city of Corpus Christi approves allocating COVID-19 emergency funding at the next council meeting.
After helping the homeless survive this week's cold temperatures, Knuteson said those who work with the homeless are focused on efficiently helping them find a place to live.
"We have our shelter program to where an individual comes in," he said. "The idea is that we try to get them back on their feet as quick as possible."
Knuteson said he believes the number of homeless people on the street of the city is between 800 and 1,000. He adds that those numbers are comparable per capita to other Texas cities.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story reported that 43 homeless people died from cold weather this year, but that number represents all homeless deaths. We have updated this story to show that half of those deaths are believed to be caused by cold weather.
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