ST. LOUIS – In preparation for the dropping temperatures this weekend, the city of St. Louis is opening several more warming shelters to make certain nobody is left in the cold.
The Department of Human Services is ensuring that all city-funded shelters will be operating day and night until the bitter temperatures subside.
“We are making sure we have additional shelter beds open for those who are unhoused and those who find themselves without having traditional access to shelters,” Director of the Department of Human Services Adam Pearson said.
The Biddle Housing Opportunities Center is adding an additional 50 beds on top of their normal 100 spots for those in need.
“Our case managers come in, (and) we get them resources they need if they don’t have basic things such as social security cards (and) identification,” Michelle Gibbs from Biddle Housing said. “We (also) help them with employment opportunities just to get them back functioning into society.”
For those who are living unhoused, the extreme cold temperatures can be life-threatening. DHS is working to bring those who may still be on the street into a shelter.
“We have a number of partners in the community that the Department of Human Services has funded to do street outreach, emergency shelters, (and) some of the coordination work that’s needed in order to find people on the streets and bring them to shelter beds,” said Pearson.
Those in need of a warming shelter can dial 211. A comprehensive list of warming shelters in the St. Louis area can be found here. Those who do not have a phone can visit Kaleidoscope Center at Centenary United Methodist Church located on Pine Street between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
