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Surrey Urban Mission hits capacity, seeks donations to help area homeless

People sleep in tents near a wooded area adjacent to the Dan Ryan Expressway Tuesday Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Officials throughout the region were focused on protecting vulnerable people from the cold , including the homeless, seniors and those living in substandard housing. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via AP). (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via AP)

He says it’s frustrating and sad, having to turn homeless people away during this cold snap because there’s no room.

Mike Musgrove runs the Surrey Urban Mission in Whalley.

He says the mission is currently at capacity, along with many other shelters in Surrey.

To help, he says, the mission is looking for donations.

“We want the warm coats, warm gloves beyond the knitted ones from the dollar stores, jackets, warm footwear, pants that are warm,” Musgrove said, detailing some of the most sought-after items.

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When he came into the mission this morning, Musgrove said he counted seven people sleeping outside near his front door.

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However, there are many, many more sleeping out in the cold, he said.

“We need to get these numbers accurately,” Musgrove said, “so that we can talk to the city hall with accuracy and say, ‘this is what we’re looking at, this is how many beds we need.'”

During this cold spell the Surrey Urban Mission is normally closed during the day for cleaning, but right now it’s open as a warming centre.

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