GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - Falling temperatures as winter approaches makes an already challenging life even more difficult for those experiencing homelessness in Northeast Wisconsin. "There are literally times where I will sit down somewhere and I can't feel myself falling asleep because I'm just exhausted from just walking the streets endlessly trying to stay warm," said Sara. Local Five News met Sara at St. John's Park on Green Bay's eastside on Tuesday evening. She said she's been homeless for about nine years and that it's extra difficult for her to find places to stay because she has a service dog. She said rent has also gotten just too high for her to get her own place to stay. She said she spends most of her time outside and doesn't sleep much. She said she's experienced horrible treatment from the public over the years including getting egged and taunted and that she's had her belongings stolen. Packers’ Rasheed Walker spends Giving Tuesday volunteering at animal sanctuary "We're exhausted, tired, and just sick and tired of getting labeled," she told Local Five News. "I don't want people to be scared of us, we're not going to hurt you, we're not going to bite." When the weather starts to get nasty as winter approaches, things get especially difficult for Sara and others experiencing homelessness. Some people turn to shelters to spend the night like St. John's Ministries. On Tuesday evening, Local Five News observed several dozen people waiting outside St. John's Ministries men's shelter waiting for it to open for the night. "For them to come into our facilities, no matter what they're presenting with to be treated with dignity and respect often times those are the first steps to overcome issues of homelessness," said Jesse Brunette who is the executive director of St. John's Ministries. Brunette said they've had on average 118 people staying at their men's and women's shelter each night during the month of November. He said this is up by about 13 percent compared to last year. "For us to have record numbers of people presenting this early in the season, it points to a really serious situation as we get to the colder weather months of December and January," said Brunette. He said right now they have just enough volunteers and staff to keep the shelters running, but said they're always looking for more help. The shelters are open from Nov. 1 until April 30. He said they have one of the lowest standards around in terms of criteria for letting people stay at the shelter. They only ask that people are able to provide themselves with self-care, aren't registered sex offenders, and clear any warrants with the appropriate jurisdiction before coming to their shelters. "When there are people within our community who may look down on people experiencing homelessness it really hurts them because we have to lift people up and overcome this stigma," Brunette said. "We all have to treat each other with love and kindness and compassion because they're our fellow brothers and sisters." For more information about St. John's Ministries, please click here. On the other side of town, cars begin to fill a dark parking lot for the first time in months. The Safe Place Parking program has returned. Chance of a few snow showers this evening and overnight "It felt so good, all of our hearts were uplifted," said Beverly Scow the executive director of Wise Women Gathering Place the organization that runs the Safe Place Parking program. Scow said they had to halt their Safe Place Parking program over the summer after losing their insurance. She said they eventually found a new insurer and through fundraising to cover operational costs, they resumed the program this week. The program provides people experiencing homelessness a safe spot to park and stay the night. The organization gives their guests blankets, food, and batteries to power heat sources to make the stay as comfortable as possible. "Being able to have an uninterrupted night of sleep can really help their mental health, so they can cope with whatever life situation they're dealing with," Scow said. "It feels really good that we can help create a safe place for people." To learn more about the Safe Place Parking Program, please click here. The group also continues to fundraise to support the costs of the program and said they currently have costs covered through February. These programs are a small piece in the very complicated process of combatting homelessness in Brown County. "I think we're going to have to put our heads together and our hearts together as one because that's the only way that we're going to end up battling this homeless situation," said Sara. "I think the public has an idea of what the homeless are and you really don't know what we are. We're just average individual people, like everybody else." Sara said she'd like to see even more programs in Green Bay to help those experiencing homelessness. She said the lack of public restrooms, especially during the winter, is a particularly difficult thing to deal with. According to St. John's Ministries, there are about 558 people who experience homelessness each night in Brown County.