ILLINOIS - The state of Illinois is showing a slight rise in the number of homeless residents this year compared to last.
The Quad Cities Christian Care homeless shelter has been at maximum capacity for the past two years. It has about 45 total men, women, and children in its two area shelters.
"There are times when we have to turn people away," Christian Care worker Ann Ring said. "If a person wants to spend the night, we sometimes have to turn them away."
The Christian Care Center says that a lack of both public housing and unemployment benefits are two reasons why the homeless numbers are increasing in Illinois. It also believes that people move to the Quad Cities looking for jobs, but when they can't find one, they start looking for social services.
Christian Care says it's looking for more donations to get them through Christmas. To donate to the group, click here.
On the Iowa side of the river, the Iowa Institute of Community Alliances says it served nearly 20,000 homeless Iowans last year. This year, it's only served 16,000.