LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It's the first sign of the bitter cold: a white flag that hangs outside one of Louisville's three homeless shelters.
The doors at Wayside Christian Mission are always open on days the temperatures drop to 35 or below, including the wind chill.
"It's extremely dangerous for people to try and stay out in this temperature," Nina Moseley, the chief operating officer with Wayside Christian Mission, said.
"It's a lot better being somewhere like here than out in the cold," Ashley Hardy said.
Hardy walked us through her room at Wayside, showing us a bed she's thankful to have on days like these.
"It's been hard. I've been here two or three days now. I was actually living on the street before I got a bed here," Hardy said.
She came in on white flag nights when the cold became too much for her makeshift shelter.
"I was sleeping in a tent on 7th Street," Hardy said.
It wasn't until this week when she was greeted by volunteers with the Samaritan Patrol, who walk the streets every evening looking for Louisville's homeless to bring indoors.
"They actually brought us here," Hardy said.
When the beds fill up, Wayside makes room wherever it can, turning no one away.
"All over we have a little over 600 people under roof right now, but we can go over with white flag and so we're just hoping people aren't trying to stay out in this bitter cold weather. We would be happy to bring them in, transport them to any shelter that has room, and house them under white flag if no other beds are available," Moseley said.
The fact that Wayside is there takes away the worry for Hardy
"It's somewhere where I can be warm and not worry about where my next meal will come from or how am I going to get things I need," Hardy said.
Along with Wayside, St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army also host the white flag nights for anyone in need.
