Now that Mother Nature has us locked in the deep freeze for the better part of the week, the question becomes, what happens to those people who don't have a warm place to call home each day here in the Sioux Empire?

Enter the Union Gospel Mission. Located at 705 East 8th Street, the mission is just one of the shelters here in the Sioux Falls area doing their part to give people living on the street a warm place to stay during these sub-zero degree winter days.

Union Gospel Mission of Sioux Falls CEO, Ron Gonzales told KSFY TV, "If it's considered a cold day which is any day where the temperatures below 20 degrees or if it's higher and the wind chill makes it below 20 degrees then we'll take everybody in regardless."

The goal of the Union Gospel Mission is to give people the opportunity to get back on their feet, go out find a job, and be able to get them to take care of themselves, according to Gonzales.

KSFY reports while the mission wants to give people a place to stay it's not meant to be a place to live for a long period of time.

The number of people forced to brave the frigid winter temperatures in the Sioux Falls area is growing each year. Gonzales told KSFY, the plan in the future is to have a roving van that will actually go out and look for people on the cold nights and bring them to the mission for safety.

Gonzales asks that those people looking for a warm place to seek refuge on cold winter days should check into the Union Gospel Mission by 10 PM.

The Union Gospel Mission, the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, and the St. Francis House are three homeless shelters in the Sioux Falls area. Each providing a safe, warm shelter for homeless people needing to get out of the elements.

Source: KSFY TV

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