Homeless battle one of the coldest nights in Cleveland

CLEVELAND - As most Clevelanders battened down the hatches for what was predicted to be one of the coldest nights of the year, Raymond Mills, an outreach worker for the Volunteers of America, went out looking for the homeless Friday evening to help them stay warm.

"They'll get blankets,"  he said, as he left the organization's emergency shelter on Walton Ave. "We have water. We also have coffee and a few coats that we give out that people were generous enough to donate."

The Volunteers of America shelter has enough beds for 26 men every night of the year and an additional 30 beds during the winter. Mills would like to see everyone in a warm bed, but many homeless prefer the outdoors, even on a night like this. So he offers them hot coffee and blanket.

"We try not to judge. We only try to help. We don't know what happened in these individuals lives to put them in this type of situation," he said.

The organization is in need of donations of blankets, sleeping bags, non-perishable and hygiene items. Cash donations are also appreciated.  Log onto http://www.voago.org/ for more information on how you can help.