Oklahoma City’s shelters prepare space for homeless

Mercer gave him one of his Jesus House cards.

"If you come to Jesus House, we can help. It’s going to be too cold up under the bridge the next couple of days,” Mercer told the man.

But the man said not to expect him at the shelter. He doesn’t go downtown, he explained.

"I can’t make them,” Mercer said.

"You can only help those that want to be helped.”

He said there are plenty of others like the stranger but many of the homeless with mental illnesses will find their way to the shelter as the storm moves in.

Jesus House, City Rescue Mission and Grace Rescue Mission are all steeled for waves of homeless people looking for warmth. They say they are committed to seeing that everyone who needs shelter or a meal will get it.

"We don’t open the door and throw somebody out in the snow,” Mercer said. "My grandmother wouldn’t have liked it, my mother wouldn’t, and I don’t think the man upstairs would think too much of it.”

They gave blankets to the later arrivals and told them to go to the kitchen and lay their heads on the table.

"That’s the best I could offer,” he said. "We had 265 people that night.”

"Our people usually wait until there is a crisis and then seek our services,” said Tom Jones, president and chief executive officer.

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