ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Around 120 beds and other supplies are available for guests at the House of Mercy during a code blue.

The House of Mercy typically has 76 beds available, but another 45 beds are added during a code blue.

It doesn’t turn people away, even when the beds are at full capacity. It’s been reported that the public has a supply of cots and tables to rest and sit at.

The Executive Director of the House of Mercy, Michael Ford, said there’s been generous donors in the month of December.

Right now, House of Mercy is in a desperate need of men’s and women’s underwear and warm clothing such as sweatpants for its outreach team to give to people in need.

“We’re hurting. But in here I find peace, I find understanding, and I get my meals, and I find love in my heart,” says Helen B. James, a guest at the House of Mercy.

“We don’t realize when we’re going from our homes to our cars or from our cars to our work, that that temperature is cold over the course of those little transitions. But for those folks who are living in substandard housing, to those who are living on the streets in various settings, it really is a matter of life or death for them,” said Ford.

Ford said he spoke to a man just days ago, during a trip to a supermarket who didn’t know about the warming centers available to him.  

He said he encourages people to let others who are on the streets know that these resources are available. 

Guests are given three meals a day and they are given an opportunity to speak with social workers.   

The Executive Director said it can help them work toward stability with long-term housing and employment.  

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