Steinbach Community Outreach has had its hands full helping homeless people during the cold weather in recent weeks. Spokesperson Irene Kroeker says there have been a number of local homeless folks that needed urgent help when the temperatures plummeted.

"There have been five homeless that we have been working very much with over the last three weeks. One gentleman was in a cardboard box, one young lady was in foyers wherever she could go, banks, a bathroom somewhere that she was going into for the night things like that."

Kroeker notes most of us wouldn't be able to spot a homeless person but they are there and find various places to get out of the cold such as up against a building or in the bushes somewhere. She notes one man suffered severe frostbite.

"There was one young man, he is in his thirties. He was walking around. First, it was so nice and he was walking around and his feet got so wet and then he suffered frostbite when it started turning cold, quite severe frostbite. It was not pleasant to look at."

She says they have found warm places for all five of the homeless people although two had to be taken to Winnipeg because there was nothing available locally.

Kroeker says if you suspect someone is homeless, don't give them money but, instead, call Steinbach Community Outreach. She adds there are a couple of people on the streets of Steinbach these days who claim to be homeless or are giving some other hard luck story and then asking for cash. But she says it's a scam and we should not give them money.