Men of all backgrounds, races and ages held hands in a circle in the church common room.

They shut their eyes as a volunteer prayed.

"Lord, we know that everything we have comes from you."

They raised their voices in a heartfelt "Amen" as they broke for dinner of spaghetti, salad and garlic bread.

It might not seem like these 15 men had much to be thankful for, but that's not true, several said. They had a warm place to sleep and a hearty dinner on a chilly November night.

"To have a warm, safe place is pretty much a godsend," said Mike Burdick.

Before GIFTS Men's Shelter, homeless single men didn't have anywhere to go in Janesville. Several GIFTS residents said they used to sleep on the streets when things got desperate. One said he slept next to the pool vent at Franklin Middle School to feel the warm air.

The shelter rotates among churches each week from fall to spring.

The Gazette talked to some of the men at First Baptist Church on a recent night.

Mike Burdick, 64

Burdick had come to the shelter two weeks earlier after his options ran out, he said.

"It was this or sleeping in a ditch or jail this year," he said.

He used to work in industry, but medical problems forced him out. It's been seven or eight years since he had a job, he said.

"Hell, I've been turned down for phone soliciting," he said. "I think that's when I quit looking."

He lives on Social Security but pays about two-thirds of his income to back child support, he said. He goes to HealthNet once a month for heart medication.

But Burdick, who grew up between Edgerton and Stoughton, doesn't seem unhappy. He smiles and laughs often, revealing a gap in his front teeth over a long, scraggly beard. He takes bike trips in summer. He spends a lot of time at the library and reads two or three books a day, he said.

He's impressed with the generosity of organizations such as GIFTS and HealthNet, he said.

"I really think Janesville should be proud of the way people stepped up," he said. "There's a lot more of us (homeless people) out there than shows."

Danny (not his real name), 65

Danny was walking and hitchhiking his way from New York to Salt Lake City to spend the winter with friends, he said. It was his second night at GIFTS.

"I'm just passing through," he said.

When asked how he ended up homeless, he said in a gentle voice, "It's hard to remember."

James Charles, 24

Charles was staying at the shelter since getting out of jail the day before. He's been in and out of shelters, jail and prison since 2007, he said.

He was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to the Janesville area around 2004 to be with his fiance, whom he met on the Internet.

"When I first came out here, I had plenty of jobs," he said.

The couple have stayed in shelters in Rockford, Ill., Janesville and Beloit, he said.

Charles has been found guilty of battery, disorderly conduct and retail theft in Wisconsin.

Right now, he's focused on finding his two sons, both in Child Protective Services custody, he said. He said he had "no idea" where his fiance was that night.

Leonard Sherrier, 55

Sherrier has been coming to the shelter since it opened two years ago, he said.

"These people are great," he said. "Open arms, open heart, open hands."

He was born and raised in Janesville and did OK until he ran into health problems, he said. He has diabetes and elbow trouble, among other things.

He used to stay with family members, but "after a while, you're not welcome," he said.

He thinks he could return to work if he could get healthy. But he can't get healthy until he gets medical treatment. He can't afford medical treatment until he gets a job and insurance.

"Some people choose this life," he said. "I would rather be on my own, taking care of myself."

Martin Haberman, 21

With his messy blonde hair, glasses and brown hooded sweatshirt, Haberman looked too young to be on his own.

He and his 18-year-old brother had been coming to the shelter for four weeks, ever since they lost their apartment in Milton. He was fired from his job at the ethanol plant there after a safety accident, he said.

"I got applications out all over Janesville," he said.

Haberman, a Footville native, doesn't talk to his parents, but he often visits his older brother, who lives in Janesville. He became addicted to cocaine in high school but eventually kicked the habit and got his diploma, he said.

"I do have one thing to say to high schoolers," he said. "Stay away from drugs ... I learned the hard way."

District tries new strategies as homelessness rises

Educators know it's hard for kids to focus on multiplication tables if they don't know where they're going to sleep at night.

But at the same time, education is the best chance for those kids to escape poverty.

That's why school districts do all they can to meet the needs of homeless students, said Ann Forbeck, homeless education program coordinator for the Janesville School District.

The Janesville district knows of 180 students who have been homeless at some point this year. That's already about half the number of students that experienced homelessness in all of last year. The number will continue to grow as families lose and find housing during the year.

"A couple of years ago it would often be the same families who were homeless and then not homeless and then would become homeless again," Forbeck said. "I think we're seeing some new families, definitely some middle-class families, which we hadn't seen before."

Federal law requires school districts to provide homeless students with school supplies, free lunch and transportation to and from school if the students end up outside their school's attendance area.

But Janesville is trying to go further, Forbeck said.

Last year, the district started a tutoring program for homeless elementary students and a mentor program for at-risk middle school students.

The district also has started "graduation coaching" for at-risk high school students. Social workers will monitor the students' attendance and grades and help them plan the next step in their lives, whether that be college, the military or a job, Forbeck said.

Just 60 percent of homeless Janesville seniors graduated in 2007-08, compared to 86.6 percent of all Janesville seniors. That number improved to 71 percent last year.

"It's not as high as we want it to be," Forbeck said.

Many organizations have donated warm clothes, snow boots, toiletries and even bowling games to homeless students, Forbeck said.

Jessica Grandt, social worker at Wilson Elementary School, surveyed parents to find out families' needs. Wilson has the highest rate of low-income students in the district.

"Parents identified 191 needs that they had, ranging anything from winter coats to eye exams," she said.

Sometimes homeless students also need psychological help because of the stress they go through, Grandt said.

Some are embarrassed about their situation and withdraw, while others act out. Many have trouble focusing on schoolwork.

"We're here to educate, but we still have to address all the other things that these kids are dealing with," she said.

Social service providers across Rock and Walworth counties worry that the problem of homelessness will get worse before it gets better.

They wonder what will happen when the snow flies and when unemployment and other benefits run out for laid-off workers.

The average size of families staying at Twin Oaks Homeless Shelter in Darien has grown, said Marc Perry, Community Action director of planning and development. More families than usual have tried doubling up with relatives before coming to the shelter, he said.

"Even your closest family members, if the space is meant for four people and there's nine people in it, at some point those people are going to have to leave," he said.

House of Mercy homeless center in Janesville is finding the same thing, Director Ron Del Ciello said.

The shelter has relaxed its formerly strict 30-day limit because residents are having so much trouble finding jobs that can help them get homes. Many are leaving the shelter to stay with relatives instead of getting places of their own, he said.

The shelter's waiting list used to fluctuate as residents came and went, but now it's holding steady at 10 to 15 families, he said.

GIFTS Men's Shelter hasn't seen much, if any, increase from last fall, board members said. But that could be because of the warm weather this year, they said.