Muncie's homeless shelters have seen an increase in the number of people they serve.
Ball State University junior Dan Miller said a lot of students participate in events that help the homeless, especially in residence halls.
"I want people to realize that this is something that is kind of close to home, to people our age," Miller said. "There are college-age people who are homeless across the United States."
Miller organized this year's Box City, an annual event in which students build homes out of cardboard boxes and other supplies and then stay in them overnight. Miller said the event was held to raise awareness about homelessness in the Muncie community and the United States.
Cardboard signs with facts about homelessness were displayed, and students donated money and canned food to the Muncie Mission.
"I want people to realize they can help, even in little ways," he said.
Several organizations in Muncie offer services to homeless people.
The Muncie Mission is an emergency shelter and a long-term recovery shelter for men. Muncie Mission gives furniture, clothing, food and some financial help to families in need, Ray Raines, director of the Muncie Mission, said.
Muncie Mission has 60 permanent beds for men who need them. However, there are currently 69 men staying at the mission.
"This is the fourth winter we've had to put guys on the floor for more than one week," Raines said.
The average number of men per day has also gone up from last year.
"Last year, we averaged about 50 men a day," Raines said. "This year, we're averaging more than 54 men a day."
That number may continue to rise, he said.
Raines contributed the increase of homeless men to the state of the economy, the continuing abuse of alcohol and drugs and an increase in mental health issues.
Another organization, Christian Ministries, offers housing for families, as well as a seasonal sleeping shelter for men from October to April.
"In October, when it wasn't really that cold, we had to turn people away," Marie Evans, executive director of Christian Ministries said.
Since then, Christian Ministries has expanded the area so they are able to accommodate more men, but even with the expansion, the men's sleeping room is full almost all the time now that the weather is bad, Evans said.
The Shepherd Center, a program of Open Door Community Services, is a transitional housing program for families.
"We have run full for the past nine months," Diane Cox, program manager at the Shepherd Center, said. "We're usually not full all the time. It's just a little rough out there right now. We're turning away five to six families a day that call, and we can't help."
Students could assist the people staying at the Shepherd Center by visiting and spending time with them, she said.
"There's a need for new people to come in, even if just a half-hour or an hour," she said. "It helps that someone is there that cares who doesn't exactly know them."
Muncie Mission could use volunteers to help box food, teach people to use computers, tutor or perform clerical tasks, Raines said.
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