NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — With temperatures feeling like the triple digits, Hampton Roads’ homeless population is seeking shade and shelter as extreme heat hammers down on the area.

Union Mission Ministries is among shelters running low on space to help the growing homeless population. According to Senior Director of Development Helen Hayes Sommer, the shelter is seeing roughly 200 people a day.

“The demand for housing and the number of people that are unhoused right now is just very high,” she said. “We have men, women and children in emergency shelter and then also transitional housing.”

While Sommer said a noticeable influx of women and children is turning up this summer season due to school being out, the wave of heat is also leading more to their doors.

“When we’re talking about heat factors of what, 110 degrees today, I believe it’s just dangerous for people to be out there on the street,” Sommer said.

The shelter is reaching capacity daily and doesn’t have enough beds to keep everyone under their care. Those that are not, are given water and being directed to cooling centers.

“We have a plan to add some transitional beds to Grace Place and our women’s shelter,” she said. “Our hope is to have those opening up within the next month or so, and so, that will allow the women that have been with us for a period of time and need some extra place to stay for a while longer. We have an old building we’d like to knock down and build some more space. But that’s a big project.

Those the Union Mission takes in are also provided resources to help them find jobs or housing, but it’s community partners being hit with funding cuts is making their transition more difficult.

“As those are being cut, that makes that less available,” she said. “I expect that we’re going to have people staying longer and longer with us.”

Union Mission Ministries is maintaining regular communication with city partners to keep them abreast of the ongoing housing issues. For more information on UMM services, click here.