As Houston faces its coldest temperatures of the winter so far, shelters are gearing up to support those most vulnerable to the extreme cold – the homeless.

The goal is a path out of homelessness with next-step services giving a sense of dignity to families and individuals in need.

Mayor John Whitmire says his vision is to get people off of the streets and instead help get them into temporary housing; with the ultimate goal of getting them affordable housing or reuniting with family.

Mayor John Whitmire says his vision is to get people off of the streets and instead help get them into temporary housing; with the ultimate goal of getting them affordable housing or reuniting with family.

If you're experiencing homelessness, here's where you can find help.

Homelessness in Houston. It’s a major problem Mayor John Whitmire says he’s hoping to solve.

Jerry Hamilton’s story is a testament to resilience and the power of support. As a teenager, Hamilton struggled with drug addiction, which led to homelessness.

It will be a night of glitz and glam with Broadway stars at the Wortham Center and it's all for a good cause. A Night of Broadway Stars raises funds and awareness for Covenant House Texas. The organization helps local youth overcome homelessness, abandonment and trafficking. Watch their full interview for how you can join and help make a difference

Since Houston is expected to experience the coldest weather of the season next week, vulnerable populations will need shelter and other resources to get through the event.

Police in Sugar Land are asking for the community’s help after a woman allegedly stole a cat from an adoption center at a Petco late last month.

If you're experiencing homelessness, here's where you can find help.

According to a new poll by Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, 30 percent of likely voters say homelessness is one of the three most important problems facing Houston.

Watch Sunday's episode of Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall!

On Sunday, Picone held a press conference outside the Houston Library on Smith Street with civil rights lawyer Randall Kallinen and trial lawyer Paul Kubosh.

Investigators are searching for a suspect accused in the death of a man whose body was found by a passerby in downtown Houston. Richard Denton Needham, 39, has been charged with murder.

One officer has been on HPD’s homeless outreach team for seven years and his boots-on-the-ground approach is popular in the community.

With temperatures set to soar next month, Indian authorities need more resources and better preparation to deal with searing heat particularly for the most vulnerable communities around the country, a New Delhi-based think tank said.

Homelessness. Living on the street. So many things can drive you here; Drug abuse, alcoholism, loss of job, and yes, even domestic violence.

There was a Jesus sighting along the northbound feeder lanes of U.S. 59 near Gessner Road Friday morning. The painting was challenging for any driver to miss. Even more difficult is the task of creating it.

The U.S. Department of Labor is dedicating $57 million in grants to organizations that help veterans experiencing homelessness find meaningful work and assist them in overcoming barriers in transitioning back to the workforce.

For many of us, plastic bags are a way to get our groceries, and anything else we buy, home from the store.

The city of Houston, Harris County and a non-profit have been working amid the pandemic to reduce the number of people who are homeless and in emergency shelters.

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the city’s $100 million initiative to house thousands of homeless people.

The Houston Public Library’s Central branch in downtown Houston will reopen soon, but one group has been told they will no longer be welcome there.

Princess Jackson is on a mission to stomp out poverty in Houston and across the world.

A clean pair of socks can make a big difference to a homeless person, especially during wintertime; that’s something a high school senior from Pearland understood at a very young age.

HOUSTON – The annual Houston-area homeless count and survey, conducted by the Coalition for the Homeless, found 3,055 people were experiencing homelessness on the night of the study in late January. The Coalition for the Homeless noted that this year’s published numbers are not directly comparable to those of other years due to methodology changes and circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The count informs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of the effectiveness of collaboration and homeless programs in those counties. AdCoalition authorities note that the annual count cannot provide an exact number of people experiencing homelessness for several reasons, including the daily fluctuating number and the more than 3,700 square miles of the area being canvassed. The count results are combined with additional data points, like the information stored in the Homeless Management Information System, to gauge progress of the local homeless response system.

Frigid temperatures are sweeping across the country.

Eccles said to start by letting cold water drip from your faucet. Safety TipsThe Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office encourages residents to follow these heating safety tips:Place space heaters on solid and flat surfaces. Check space heaters for cracked or damaged cords and plugs. Plug space heaters directly into wall outlets, don’t use an extension cord or power strip. Create a “kid-free zone” three feet from open fires and space heaters.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – The pandemic may leave more than 40 million Americans without a job, risking their homes and their health. How close are you to the poverty line? “We became homeless and now we don’t have food, and now COVID, it’s been really, really tough,” said Latisha King. “Twenty-one years ago, I was homeless with my children and today I’m the founder of a nonprofit organization,” said Stephanie Bowman, Visionary at One Heart. You can find out your poverty risk assessment by logging on to www.playspent.org and taking the test.

Advocates for homeless Texans worry a new state rule barring people with certain criminal records from some tax-supported housing will cut homeless people off from a path to permanent housing. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is proposing that people with certain criminal convictions be temporarily or permanently blocked from living in tax-supported “supportive housing” developments. Supportive housing is only one kind of the housing created by the housing program, but advocates said it is key to fighting homelessness. Advocates say there is no data that shows that supportive housing projects increase crime in neighborhoods. Some of these homes are built for people experiencing chronic homelessness who, without supportive services, won't be able to get back on their feet.

HOUSTON – After seven months of sleeping in a car, Maria Baez and her son will finally have beds to sleep in tonight. “It’s incredible because for seven months we didn’t see the light,” said Baez. Shelters wouldn’t accept the family dogs and Maria said that she couldn’t part with them so the family has been living out their SUV. Since the report aired, Maria said she has been inundated by the generous offers from others. Anything good happens to me, anything any kindness, the smallest or whatever, I am totally grateful,” said Maria.

HOUSTON – Maria Baez is a Houston area mother desperately trying to hold it together for her son, herself and their two dogs. Holding it together in the face of losing her job during the pandemic and having to live for the past seven months in their SUV seeking free meals, gas money and other help from strangers. Maria’s 16-year-old son recently started online learning and logging on for classes from parking lots during the day. “It was really difficult because it’s really difficult to be cooking all the food, preparing everything, then go to sell on the streets.”What’s been extremely difficult is not being able to part with their dogs Sugar and Bobby. Homeless shelters won’t allow them and animal shelters say Maria would have to surrender the dogs permanently.

As part of our new Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. The question: Is it illegal to solicit at traffic stops? The answer: A Channel 2 viewer, Atif, wrote to us with this question. The ordinance stipulates that soliciting is ONLY illegal within eight feet of the person being solicited (the “solicitee”). If a panhandler solicits from a distance greater than eight feet from the solicitee, the action is considered legal.