Conroe House of Prayer acts as its own sanctuary for homeless from cold

Many of Conroe's homeless population found sanctuary in the Conroe House of Prayer for the start of the new year as a bitter cold snap swept much of the United States.

With wind-chill temperatures in the teens for Conroe mere hours after the clock struck midnight Monday morning, a few dozen folks took shelter in the downtown ministry for their daily breakfast and stayed throughout the day to keep out of the cold.

The Conroe House of Prayer serves up a hearty breakfast and spiritual message every Monday through Friday year round but opened its doors up all day Monday to help the homeless have a warm place to hang their hat in the near freezing temperatures. The ministry is just one leg of Compassion United, a Montgomery County-based Christian outreach organization founded in 2006 by Luke and Karla Redus.

"These guys are family," Luke Redus said "This is our church family. We just want to make sure they have a safe place to be."

While a handful of people who ate breakfast left after the meal, a handful stayed behind and hung out in the ministry for hours Monday – playing games, watching comedians on TV and having fellowship.

The center will not be open on an extended basis Tuesday following their typical breakfast service, despite a continued likelihood of subfreezing wind chills. Luke Redus said their idea was to be open Monday, New Year's Day, thinking many of the normal places the homeless would otherwise patron would be closed for the holiday.

Conroe's Salvation Army center, however, will be open 24/7 for the time being until the chilly temperatures subside. David Jenett, shelter director for the Salvation Army, previously said both the Wayne Bergstrom Center of Hope in the 300 block of Ave. E and the adjacent administration offices will act as emergency shelters and warming stations.

They had more than 60 people stay in the facilities Sunday night and expect more to take advantage of the offer Tuesday night and throughout the week. The Salvation Army in Conroe normally has an 8 p.m. cutoff time for people to stay overnight, but that curfew will be waived for the duration of the cold snap.

"If someone needs to come in, we're going to get them in," Jenett said. "We'll make sure we get them out from the cold, get them a hot meal, a hot shower and a warm bed."

Jenett said they are seeking additional food items to feed the expected increase in Salvation Army residents. The organization work with the Montgomery County Food Bank, but uncertain weather conditions may impact their food supply.

For anyone who would like to donate, food items may be brought to either the administration office or the Center of Hope on Ave. E.

The National Weather Service anticipates the cold weather to last throughout the week, with high temperature in must of Southeast Texas struggling to break 40 degrees. Most of the region will be in the 20s or 30s over the next few days, with wind-chill temperatures dropping into the teens.