SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Monday night's temperature in Sioux Falls is fatally frigid; it's the kind of night where not having shelter can mean death, and leadership at the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House and Union Gospel Mission in central Sioux Falls each tell KELOLAND News they provide shelter to well over 100 adults every night during the cold weather months. "When it's super cold, people come to us in droves," Bishop Dudley Hospitality House Executive Director Madeline Shields said. "They can't find another place to stay, and we could have anywhere between 150 people to 190 people." Senate panel advances Noem nomination for Homeland Security secretary Union Gospel Mission Executive Director Eric Weber estimates the nightly number of adults at his shelter at slightly more than 120. Both organizations have space for families as well, with the Union Gospel Mission set to open up additional space for them soon. Per the nonprofit South Dakota Housing, Sioux Falls had 610 people who were experiencing homelessness in late January of 2024; another count comes Jan. 28. And while both Weber and Shields say they have little available space, they also agree that Sioux Falls does not need another shelter. "I don't think Sioux Falls needs another shelter," Weber said. "What I think Sioux Falls needs is more affordable housing." "I don't know that a shelter is the answer," Shields said. "But I think we need to be more creative on how we use the beds that are available in the city." It's a view shared elsewhere. Kari Benz, director of human services with Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties, concurs. "I don't believe we need another shelter," Benz said. Michelle Treasure, who works as the homelessness services coordinator with the City of Sioux Falls, also agrees. "If I could make anything happen right now, I would help lift up some of our rural communities with services so that people can stay in their home area, cities, counties and be by their support networks rather than having to come to Sioux Falls to receive services," Treasure said. Shields says many of the guests at the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House belong elsewhere: a facility with specialized care. "They need to be somewhere that has health care and health care professionals that know how to take care of their chronic illness or their chronic mental illness," Shields said. Not far from the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House and Union Gospel Mission is the St. Francis House, which offers transitional housing. Betty Sumpman has been a guest here for over a year. "They're helping me save my money so I can try to get an apartment," Sumpman said. And she has a pretty clear idea of where she'd be if it weren't for this facility. "I'd be in the street," Sumpman said. "I probably wouldn't be alive." Sumpman's story highlights how someone with specific concerns is receiving shelter in Sioux Falls. She is in her 70s and lives with anxiety and arthritis. "I think that we've seen an influx of very challenging populations to shelter, meaning we have had an escalation in elderly and those that have complex medical issues," Benz said. Benz points out what specialized care requires. "The elderly, those that have a lot of medical complexities, the shelters don't feel equipped to really help those individuals," Benz said. "Predominantly because they have a lot of needs. They need assistance in doing some of their care." South Dakota winters add another layer of hardship upon the shoulders of anyone experiencing homelessness. "It's life or death when the bitter cold comes, below wind chills, the wind, the snow," Shields said. The Bishop Dudley Hospitality House and Union Gospel Mission each offer shelter for people who might otherwise be out on the street. But Shields says her employees can't do everything. "Our staff is not trained to lift people," she said. "If people can't use the restroom on their own, if they can't get into bed and out of bed on their own, if they can't walk to The Banquet to get a meal, they can't stay here. We do not serve three meals a day, and so we have our own limitations. We are a temporary, emergency homeless shelter that shelters people overnight and provides a lunch. We have access to other resources such as laundry and case management and technology like computers and telephones, but we are just to bridge a quick gap and to try to get them to the people who can really help them." Shields says Sioux Falls needs specialized care for someone battling homelessness. "We need alternatives for people who are mentally ill and chronically addicted," she said. "They're the ones who are taking up the beds in the shelter. Bishop Dudley House accepts people who are under the influence and accepts people who are mentally ill. However, we are not a health care facility, and we are not equipped to deal with some of the issues and some of the medical problems that many of our guests have when they show up at our doors, and so we need to transition those people out to a more suitable place." Accessible and affordable housing is another piece of the puzzle. "What we need is getting more people that want to get into housing and get into a better situation, we need a place for those people to go," Weber said. "We do need transitional and supportive housing and then we need long-term permanent housing," Benz said. Shields highlights a specialized resource along Minnesota Avenue. "We do have the Safe Home, and that's 33 units where people who are chronically addicted to alcohol are able to secure an apartment when there is an apartment available," Shields said. "We need more places like that. We need more programs that will help people who are addicted to drugs. We need more places that are for people who suffer from mental illness." But the presence of available resources won't ensure they're utilized. "It's a challenge because there is a subset of individuals who have refused all care … they chose not to be connected to anyone," Benz said. "Obviously, we can't force people to be connected to service." "We need to focus more on telling people that we have services," Weber said. Treasure says the city's resources are asked to extend beyond what its residents use. "We know, and we have data to support, that not everyone that you see utilizing our emergency shelters are from Sioux Falls or even from South Dakota," Treasure said. "We have data to support that people are coming from other states into South Dakota." Homelessness is a complicated challenge for any urban area. Different people who may be housed or un-housed tonight or tomorrow morning face different obstacles, but it's not hard to find a common thread linking someone in a shelter or transitional housing with someone fortunate enough to count on a secure roof. For everyone, well-being is paramount. Sumpman certainly knows why hers is. "I gotta keep my health 'cause I gotta be living for my son," she said.