He says his call to Super 8’s corporate headquarters didn’t produce any results either and he and his wife were already an hour away. “We got to Dayton so frustrated and so sad,” he said. “We missed the opportunity to help someone.” He posted on Facebook about the ordeal and his sons pushed the story out on Twitter. Eventually a petition was created, which had nearly reached its 15,000 signature goal as of Tuesday afternoon. “We’re not trying to bash Super 8,” George was quick to explain. “We’re just frustrated with one hotel.”

More than 153,000 Americans go without shelter on any given night, and frigid winter temperatures make a difficult situation a deadly one. The cold has already claimed homeless lives, and last year an estimated 2,000 people died on the streets.