Local agencies are preparing extra shelter for homeless people looking to get away from the cold as temperatures dip below freezing this week.
"Anytime the temperature is 45 degrees or below, we open up additional emergency shelter, which allows us to increase our numbers above the normal 35," said Kent Vann, executive director at St. Francis House.
St. Francis House opened its doors to more than 90 people this fall, and the shelter expects more of a turnout if temperatures drop to predicted record lows.
The agency provided shelter for 92 people Tuesday night.
"The number of homeless people in Gainesville has gone up 43 percent in the past year alone," said Jon DeCarmine, executive director of the City of Gainesville/Alachua County Office on Homelessness.
The temperature early Thursday morning is predicted to be 28 degrees, dropping to 26 degrees early Friday and 20 degrees by Saturday, said Marie Trabert, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jacksonville.
Other local agencies like HOMEvan, a mobile outreach unit of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, is also helping.
HOMEvan handed out 100 blankets Tuesday night and served about 400 meals last week, said HOMEvan coordinator Arupa Freeman.
"There's so many more homeless people this winter than last," she said. "Even if you have 12 blankets, can you imagine living outside in that?"
