FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Homeless shelters in the Fargo-Moorhead area report unprecedented demand this summer.

New Life Center Assistant Director Rob Swiers tells The Forum newspaper that that shelter turned away 178 men in June and July because of a lack of space.

He says numbers have been rising steadily since 2008, and case managers can’t keep up.

Officials cite the state’s good economy. Fargo-Moorhead Coalition for Homeless Persons Executive Director Laurie Baker says people from across the country are coming to North Dakota looking for jobs.

She also says a housing crisis in the western oil patch is forcing some people into shelters in the east.

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