Community volunteers plan for a new warming shelter in Austin

AUSTIN, Minn.-The city of Austin is considering a proposal for its first warming center.

The plan comes from a group of community volunteers who meet at First United Methodist Church.

Shelly Hovland is a volunteer who has helped with the planning for the project, through her job at Semcac she says at any one time Austin has a community of over 80 homeless people living in the area.

During the winter she says their health is at risk.

"A good chunk of the time, they're living in a place not meant for habitation, whether it could be a vehicle, could be a tent, could be a storage unit, that's where they live and people end up in the hospital," Hovland said.

The group is hoping to rent a space for the new facility that can hold 16 to 20 beds to start, with ADA compliant features.

She says