Homeless shelters across North Texas are packed during a cold snap that's expected to bring the chilliest temperatures in two years.
In McKinney, the Samaritan Inn – the only shelter in Collin County – is leaving its lobby open so people can have a place to warm up.
Good Samaritans, like Minister Jeff Card, are visiting homeless encampments in McKinney to make sure people stay warm.
"For the people that come to our church, this is reality. This is where they live," he said.
Parishioner Soritta Paddick and her husband say they've lived in a tent on McKinney's east side for more than two years. They'll rely on warm chili, blankets and body heat to keep from freezing.
"When it's real, real cold, the air sometimes, you can feel the air come in," Paddick said. "It's not easy, but we've been through it before."
They'll survive on lessons learned from the past, but this will be Rusty Duff's first winter on the streets.
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"It's been very tough. I'm prior military, so I mean living in a tent is not that unusual, but living in a tent is still tough," Duff said.
Battling below-freezing temperatures isn't a risk he and his girlfriend are willing to take.
Thursday night, they accepted an invitation from the nonprofit 3E McKinney to stay at a hotel for two nights.
Several rooms were donated, helping a people who would otherwise be outside have a warm place to stay.
For Duff, he says, it could mean the difference between life and death.
"Tonight's probably going to save my life because it's going to be bitterly cold, but it means a lot to know that there are some people out there that actually care about the homeless," Duff said.
