ST. LOUIS – With winter upon us, the city of St. Louis is launching its winter operations program on Friday to help the homeless find places to stay and get out of the cold.
Although it’s not snowing, Friday morning’s cold rain is certainly a sign of things to come this winter in the area. City officials say if you’re in need of shelter this winter, call 211 for a referral to a shelter. However, if you don’t have a phone, you can come to the Centenary United Methodist Church on Pine during cold weather to get a referral for a place to stay.
Here is a breakdown of the number of city-funded beds for the homeless:
City officials say the 744 beds are available year-round. That is a 23% increase over the situation in 2022. There are just over 100 additional overflow beds that are available during inclement weather.
AmeriCorps is also providing 40 beds when the temperature drops below 20 degrees.
It’s known just how dangerously cold it can get in the area during the winter months. The extreme winter temperatures can certainly become life-threatening for the homeless if they have no shelter to go to. City officials say they are collaborating with St. Louis County and other agencies to provide as much shelter space and critical wraparound services as possible.
The City Department of Human Services says it will ensure that all city-funded shelter providers remain open 24/7. In addition to bed space for the overnight hours, there are also several daytime warming centers, like St. Louis Public Library branches and St. Patrick’s Center.
The referral point at the Centenary Church will be available from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. when the temperatures are under 20 degrees or 25 degrees when there is precipitation. Winter operations will end on March 31.
