Sharon, 54, pushes a shopping cart full of her belongings on Dec. 19, 2024, outside Turning Point in Columbia, Mo. After getting hit by a truck five years ago, Sharon said she is “blessed to be alive,” though it has been “way too long” since she has seen her family. “I don’t like being out here,” Sharon said. “I’m glad for it to be the end of the year.”

Volunteer Jeanett Harvey, center, welcomes unhoused guests onto a shuttle traveling from Turning Point at Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist to the Ashley Street Center Room at the Inn on Dec. 19, 2024, at Turning Point in Columbia, Mo. Harvey helped people load their luggage onto the bus, which has 12 seats and three spots for disabled patrons.

More than a dozen members of Columbia’s unhoused community take the final shuttle of the morning from Room at the Inn to Turning Point on Dec. 20, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Rick Mehlberg, who drove the shuttle, said he sometimes has to get “a little bit bossy” with riders. “One day last week, I had a lady refuse to get on the shuttle, even though I had like eight empty seats,” Mehlberg said. “And I got back here, and she steps in front of me on the shuttle and says, ‘You got to take me over to Turning Point.’ I said, ‘First of all, I don't have to take you anywhere. And secondly, I told you to get on, and you refuse to get on.’ I said, ‘It's only about a mile, I guess you'll have a good walk.’ Sometimes you gotta treat them like children.”

Marjorie, 56, who has been at Turning Point for about a month and a half, sits in the back of a free shuttle traveling from Turning Point to the Ashley Street Center on Dec. 19, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. “The city buses don't like when us homeless bring all our luggage and stuff we own on city buses, but here at Turning Point doesn't allow us to leave our stuff,” Marjorie said. “We have no place to put our stuff, so we have to lug it around with us. But the city buses are cracking down on how much we can take, so what are we supposed to do? I mean, we can't leave it here; we can't take it with us.”

Marcus, 24, pushes his girlfriend, 30-year-old Hayley, up a hill in her wheelchair while Derek wheels his bike alongside them on Dec. 19, 2024, near the Ashley Street Center in Columbia, Mo. While some homeless people rode a shuttle from Turning Point to the Ashley Street Center, others biked, walked and wheeled themselves to the shelter. Hayley, who has a congenital heart murmur and is autistic, said she struggles to maintain eye contact with people.

University of Missouri medical student and volunteer Mikala Cessac, right, hands free healthcare items to 38-year-old Haili, second from right, while more people wait in line to access mobile medical services on Dec. 19, 2024, outside the Ashley Street Center in Columbia, Mo. People could ask for items from the “Med Clinic Menu,” including shampoo and conditioner, cotton swabs and bandages, Advil and eye drops, feminine hygiene products, nail clippers, face masks and more.

University of Missouri medical student and volunteer Mikala Cessac, left, gives 24-year-old Marcus, right, a brown paper bag of free health and personal hygiene items on Dec. 19, 2024, outside the Ashley Street Center in Columbia, Mo. Marcus, who described himself as an introvert, said he is working to become a bodybuilder.

Sam, center, looks through donated pants and jeans to see if any are his size on Dec. 19, 2024, outside the Ashley Street Center in Columbia, Mo. Sam said he got some gloves, but he noted it was difficult finding clothes since many of the available items were for women.

Gregory rests his frostbitten toe atop his cot on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. He said the frostbite happened during the first snow of the season, around Thanksgiving. “I try to be a peaceful person, but there are times that I’m not. But I try to be. When I see one of what I call them, ‘The Brood,’ my six kids around here — my son or one of my adopted five children — upset, I try to find out what's going on and then try to resolve the issue so that nobody gets kicked out of here because it's winter time,” Gregory said. “I've got second-degree frostbite. I don't want to see these kids out here like that because they don't know where to go. I mean, they're like 19, 18, 20 years old. … This may not be the best place in the world, but it's better than being out in the cold, freezing to death.”

Samantha, 32, left, and her fiancé, Jeffery, 29, right, cuddle together for warmth on Dec. 19, 2024, outside Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. “We like to fight for what we want and need in life,” Samantha said. The couple got engaged about a week ago, and Samantha said they are “wanting to start over and do better" by securing jobs so they can get a car — and eventually a home — in order to have somewhere warm to stay in the new year. "If I can make it from 13 to 29 on the streets, just imagine what else I can do," said Jeffery, who has been homeless since he was 13 years old.

Unhoused guests’ bags sit labeled on shelves behind the shelter’s intake table on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Operations Manager Jacqie Melloway said Room at the Inn opens its doors at 6:30 p.m., at which time guests may enter to check in for the night. “We'll take all of your bags from you. We put your name on it, put it on the shelf behind us. And the shelves are somewhat alphabetical order, but we put last names on there,” Melloway said. “You have to empty your pockets out. We will take any contraband from you: knives, lighters. And then if you have a coat on, with it being winter, you have to take your coat off so we can pat it down, just because a lot of folks have holes in their pockets and things fall through into the lining of their coat.”

Brian, center front, a 42-year-old unhoused man from Carlton, Mo., rests on his cot on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Brian said he came to Columbia specifically for the shelter. “I’m a good person. I don’t commit crimes,” Brian said. “It’s hard to survive, hard to get by. … I’d like to have a place of my own to call my home like everybody does.”

Marcus, left, and his girlfriend, Hayley, center, talk with Gregory, right, on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Gregory, who planned to move to Texas in January 2025, said he has found Columbia to be "a cold place where it's every man for themselves." Gregory said he wants to one day live in a place where neighbors look out for and care about one another. "That's the type of community I want to be in, and I found that right here within this community, within the homeless community here," Gregory said. "We're like a family, if you will. Somebody from the outside come in and start messing with us, we're gonna band together and say, 'Hey, stop.' Or we're gonna make it stop. But, at the same time, we'll fight amongst ourselves."

1. Vincent doodles on his hand while his girlfriend, Alexis, rests her hand of his arm on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Both Vincent and Alexis are 19 years old, making them two of the shelter’s youngest guests. “Some people think that I look like I'm 12 or I'm 15, and they'll just prey on me for that. And it makes me super uncomfortable. So, it's really hard,” Alexis said. “And also going to sleep at night is also really stressful. Like, I'll go to sleep, and then I'll wake up for an hour, and then I'll go back to sleep. I usually get four hours of sleep at night because you … cannot be vulnerable here. It's very hard. It takes a really hard toll on your mental health.”

A 70-year-old woman who goes by “Tweety Bird” eats her dinner from Loaves and Fishes on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. A rotation of local churches sends volunteers to help make and serve food. For many homeless and food-insecure people, Loaves and Fishes is their only reliable source for a nightly warm dinner. 

Reighna, 45, left, helps Lee, 46, shave his head over a trash can on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. “We all try to help out each other,” said Lee, who has been going to Room at the Inn for about five months. “I've always lived with friends and family. And, after a little bit, especially when it's not your house, things get tense. And when you have 75-plus people living under one roof, things can get twisted, and there can be arguments. All I can say is, it gets real rough.” 

Marcus, 24, back, laughs while hugging his girlfriend, 30-year-old Hayley, on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. The couple had known each other for about two weeks, and Marcus said he appreciated Hayley didn’t immediately hit on him when they met. 

Operations Manager Jacqie Melloway adjusts blankets on unhoused guests’ cots before they enter the shelter on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. “We have a lot of guests that are very appreciative. And I've also heard that this — they will tell me that this is not a jail. And that's correct; it's not a jail. But that's the big one that I keep hearing over and over, just because they don't like a certain rule that we have,” Melloway said. “But we're not making them stay. We don't lock the doors. We don't keep them in. But, more often than not, I hear people saying how appreciative that they are. And most of the guests that stay here know that I'm big on communication. If they call in and tell me, ‘Hey, I'm running late,’ I will more than likely be lenient on them. As long as they talk to me and be honest and communicate things with me, then that goes a long way.” 

Reighna, 45, cuddles on her cot with her doll on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Reighna said she recently had a miscarriage, and the doll, which was a gift from a friend, helps her sleep at night with fewer bad dreams. “We aren't who people think we are. We are just like them. We were just unhoused, and we're lost, and we need help, not put down, not tore down,” Reighna said. “I don't think people realize how close they are to being us.”

Guests sleep on cots in the men’s section of the shelter on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. When people arrive at Room at the Inn for the first time, they must sign a contract agreeing to the shelter’s rules before they receive a cot for the night. “We're a low-barrier shelter, so we don't require sobriety. If people come in with drugs or alcohol, we'll store them for them and give them back to them in the morning, as long as they don't sneak them into the shelter,” Executive Director John Trapp said. “People can come in intoxicated. We judge them by their behavior, not the substances that they've consumed.”

Victoria, a 30-year-old Columbia native who has struggled with mental illness and substance use disorder, sits outside with her belongings deciding whether or not to enter Room at the Inn on Dec. 19, 2024, at the Ashley Street Center in Columbia, Mo. She said being 30 is strange because her partner passed away at 29 years old, so she is now older than he was. Victoria said she is not a social person, so she prefers to be in a tent in the woods alone. “I don’t like guns, and I love nature,” Victoria said.

Guests share cigarettes during their evening smoke break on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Executive Director John Trapp said Room at the Inn is a non-smoking facility that offers “two smoke breaks where everybody can go outside and have a cigarette if they need to.” People check-in their cigarettes when they enter the facility, and staff members hand them back before the evening and morning breaks.

Gregory smokes a cigarette during the evening smoke break on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. "Don't judge a book by its cover. Just because somebody's living here at the [Room at the Inn] or the Salvation Army or even on the streets does not mean — or because they look a certain way — does not mean that that's why they're there. I mean, you don't know their story," Gregory said. "There's an old song that says, 'Walk a hillbilly mile in my shoes.' And I believe that until you walk in somebody else's shoes, or until you get to know them, you shouldn't judge them."

Don Wisnasky, who works 35 hours each week as a supervisor at the shelter, carries two blue IKEA bags of clean laundry inside on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. “Even if I was working another job, I'd be here volunteering because this is where I know God's got me, and I enjoy my job,” Wisnasky said. “What motivates me in this job is not only I'm getting paid for it, but I still feel like I'm giving back to the other people who are experiencing homelessness, and I experienced this for three years. When I was homeless, I didn't go to no shelter. I was a hardcore addict, meth addict, and I preferred to stay on the street. And so knowing where a lot of these guys been, my story might be worse than theirs. But if there's any way I could give back — besides with the job — if I can make their day when they come through the line, ask them how their day is, whatnot. You know, just put a smile on their face. And then that means I helped to show a little bit of hope here.”

Clean blankets sit on a storage room shelf on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Operations Manager Jacqie Melloway said cotton blankets are easier and cheaper to clean than quilts and heavier bedding.

Operations Manager Jacqie Melloway prepares to make a bedroll with clean laundry on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Melloway said each guest’s bedroll consists of a pillowcase containing a sheet and a blanket. “I know that I have a home to go to at night. Obviously, this place is not going to burn up if I say, ‘I can't do this anymore.’ But it also makes me feel like I have a purpose, if that makes sense. And I didn't, I didn't have that before, from a job,” Melloway said. “It makes me feel good, even after you'll have a guest cuss at you, and five minutes later, you know they'll apologize. Or you'll have a guest tell you how great you are, ask you how my kids are doing. They don't have to do that, and they do."

Staff member Don Wisnasky prepares a bed for a guest arriving at the shelter from Boone Hospital after midnight on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. “What society thinks about the homeless — a lot of society — is that they'll never be a part of society, that they're nobody; they're invisible to them. I've had a lot of rude encounters myself whenever I was homeless. But they straight out don't look at them as people,” Wisnasky said. “If people would come in here in the shelter, even if they didn't want to volunteer to help us, that's fine, because we got it. But if they would sit and talk to the people, get to know them instead of being all skittish about them like they got [something] contagious. If they just come and sit and have conversations with them, they'd find out they're no different than them, but they have problems, and they need help.” 

Sam, front, asks staff member Geri Sullivan, back, to retrieve his bags on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Although Sullivan found other bags, she was unable to locate Sam’s, which he said contained foodstuffs he had picked up from the food bank earlier in the week. Sam had planned to donate a portion of the food to the shelter and keep the remainder for himself. 

Staff members Cathleen Sweeney, left, and Gayle Rich, right, prepare breakfast for the shelter’s guests on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Rich used to rely on the shelter but has now worked at Room at the Inn for two months. “I never thought in a million years this would be my dream job,” Rich said. “I feel like in some ways I’m giving back.” 

Bella, 22, front, and Amy, 57, back, wake up and get ready for the day on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia. Bella, who has been homeless for more than four and a half years, said she first learned of Room at the Inn from a friend a few weeks after she got to Columbia, Mo. “They think that all of us are bad and that all of us are out here on the streets due to drug addiction, and I'm not out here on the streets because I was a drug addict,” Bella said. “I actually didn't become a drug addict until I was here on the streets, and it was mostly because people from the outside looking in weren't willing to help me because I was on the streets.” 

A Bible, Sunday School books and medications sit on 46-year-old Keith’s cot on Dec. 19, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Executive Director John Trapp said Room at the Inn currently has 95 cots, and guests who spent the previous night at the shelter are guaranteed their same cot the next day. 

JoAnn, a 60-year-old two-time breast cancer survivor, smokes a cigarette while swaying to music as she waits for the shuttle to take them to Turning Point on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. JoAnn, who had been staying at the shelter for about two months, said she feels like less of a woman after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. 

Marjorie, 56, second from left, Reighna, 45, center, and Joshua, 36, right, wait outside in the near-freezing weather to board the shuttle on Dec. 20, 2024, at Room at the Inn in Columbia, Mo. Joshua said staying at Room at the Inn sometimes reminds him of being incarcerated and can trigger his post-traumatic stress disorder. After falling through a floor in April 2024, Joshua said he is “going through pain 24/7” and is “stuck in the bum cycle.” He said people “write you off like that’s where you’re gonna be stuck” even though homelessness can be temporary. 

Reighna, 45, offers up her morning prayer on Dec. 20, 2024, at Turning Point in Columbia, Mo. Reighna said she looks to find God all around her, not just in churches and other houses of worship. She said she wants to be baptized in Bear Creek in the spring. “I want my spirit to be cleansed with moving water,” Reighna said.