Knoxville homeless forced to downsize in order to sleep at KARM

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- As he took Local 8 News to the only home he knows, a homeless man shared his plea to God.

"Keep us safe, keep us warm,"

said the homeless man, who wished to remain anonymous.

In the same breath, he shared the reality of life in and out of the shelter of Knox Area Rescue Ministries.

"Anytime you stay in KARM, you can't take your belongings in there or nothing like that, but when you go in there at 6:30 and come out at 5:30 in the morning, all your belongings are gone,"

the man said.

KARM officials said anything the homeless bring inside off the streets has to fit in one of their small bags. Otherwise, possessions can not come with them.

"It's not right for them to be a Christian organization and know that the homeless people; this is all the stuff we got,"

the homeless man said.

The homeless man said many living on the streets have to leave their belongings outside of KARM's door or hide them in the bushes with hopes that they don't get stolen.

A spokesperson for KARM said the homeless have a bag size limit because of fire marshal codes. What's able to be kept inside is locked away in what's called "the bag room."

Some said a solution like a stand-alone shed would be more useful.

"The homeless people can put their stuff in at night and then, you know, tag it, mark it, name it, and when they come out in the morning, give them a number or something to let them show this is their property,"

the homeless man said.

The only thing the homeless man said he has to his name is a small pallet he knows as his resting place.

As he makes his bed every night in the cold, the man prays for protection.

"Most of all, keep us warm,"

he said.