With the help of some local volunteers, the Second Place East Homeless Shelter in Elmira got a bit of a face lift on Friday. As our Bill Mich tells us, just in time as the shelter expects increased numbers with the onset of colder weather.

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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- On any given day, Catholic Charities in Elmira can house about 23 people in their homeless shelters, including nine children. It is that commitment to the community that inspired volunteers on Friday.

"About three years ago, we started a yearly charity painting project in conjunction with Catholic Charities. Certainly, they do so many good things in this community to effect change and we're certainly just trying to follow suit and you know, we are very honored to be here today," said Mike Williams, a Sherwin-Williams Market Representative.

Sherwin-Williams donated the paint, supplies and manpower and with the help of Bullseye Painting and Contracting, gave each room in the Second Place East Homeless Shelter a fresh paint job. The place had some wear and tear from its constant use. Homelessness is a problem present in the Southern Tier and with the winter months approaching, occupancy is expected to rise at the shelter.

"I think it does go unnoticed because we are so rural so people are under bridges and in locations like that. So when the weather actually turns cold, they come out of the woodwork, so to speak, and they need a place," said Lindsay Winters, the Catholic Charities Director of Development.

And now with the help of these painters, they have place to go that presents a little more of a welcoming environment.

"This is home. It's a temporary home. So to have something that's of a standard that we've become accustomed too is just amazing for them. It's actually a warm place for them to put their head," said Winters.

And come December and January, that warm place will become all the more important to those in need.