FARGO (AP) - The death of a Moorhead, Minn., man whose body was found at a park here, has stepped up efforts to open a local emergency shelter for homeless people impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Oliver Eagleman, 55, was homeless and intoxicated, according to preliminary toxicology results. His body was found on Jan. 9 at Island Park.

Eagleman's family and friends said he had been turned away in the past from local homeless shelters when he showed up with alcohol on his breath.

Fargo city officials say an emergency shelter is close to becoming a reality.

"We'll open the door the minute we can," said Linda Coates, a Fargo city commissioner and emergency shelter advocate. "We're getting very close" to reaching an agreement on a suitable property.

She declined to give the address until an agreement is reached, but said it would be near a detox center.

For safety reasons, local homeless shelters won't allow guests who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

That prohibition has fallen especially hard on American Indians in Fargo-Moorhead, said Sandi Berlin, who runs the Ray of Hope drop-in center and serves on Fargo's Native American Commission.

"In the past, we've had many people from the Native American community who've been turned away from shelters because of drinking," she said.

"It's not the first time," she said. "I've known people who have been lost. People just close their eyes to it."

Health statistics from North Dakota and Minnesota show that American Indians die from exposure at higher rates than the general population.

In North Dakota, death records indicate 18 American Indians died of exposure from 1980 to 2005, the most recent figures available. They comprised 9 percent of exposure deaths, nearly double their share of the population, 4.9 percent.

In Minnesota, American Indians accounted for 7 percent of exposure deaths since 1980 and 1.1 percent of the general population.

Capt. Tod Dahle of the Fargo Police Department said officers find a safe place for intoxicated homeless people when weather is a threat whenever they are aware of the problem.

"When it's critical, if it's a matter of survival, we're going to find a place for them," he said.

Still, some homeless people who are chronic alcoholics shun shelters or detox, where rules and restrictions apply, Dahle added. And in those cases, when police aren't made aware of the person's plight, tragedy can result.

"Frankly, with our climate, it's surprising it doesn't happen more often," Dahle said. "Obviously, it's a constant struggle for us."