It will be located in the gymnasium of the Salvation Army location located at 15 S. Plum St. Hot and warm refreshments will be provided and all services associated will be provided for free, according to a news release from the city of Springfield.
“It’s important during this time of cold weather that we make accommodations for those in our community of limited means,” said Anita Albert-Watson, who is with the Springfield Salvation Army.
“Exposure to the elements can result in frostbite, extreme illness or death. We are committed to working with our community partners to provide shelter from these extreme temperatures,” she added.
City officials say they will continue to monitor the weather to evaluate when and if the warming center will be needed beyond the weekend.
Emergency, non-congregate overnight shelter will continue to be offered by Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides services to the homeless, officials added.
Inside Out Youth, 501 S. Wittenberg Ave., also will be offering an emergency shelter to those who need it, according to Fred Stegner, who runs the Springfield Soup Kitchen.
Stegner said he delivered 10 cots to Inside Out Youth on Friday to help them prepare for the weekend weather.
“They’re getting ready for a bad weekend. They’re providing meals, they have some cots, they have blankets,” he said.
Stegner said the Soup Kitchen, which is only open on Mondays and Wednesdays, has sleeping bags, heaters and three tents, and that a few people in the community have offered to put people in motels if needed.
Friday overnight temperatures will fall to around 14 degrees as clouds decline throughout the night. Winds will die down somewhat, but some breezy winds will stay around, causing wind chills around zero just before dawn.
During the day on Saturday, it will generally be calmer, with clouds decreasing for most of the day and temperatures rising to around 27 degrees. Clouds will start to rise again Saturday evening and soon after dark there will be a chance of snow, which will last through the night before falling away before dawn Sunday.
Saturday overnight temperatures will fall to around 13 degrees, though wind chills will again make it feel like the single digits before daybreak.
There is predicted to be mostly sunny skies on Sunday with temperatures rising to around 22 degrees, but light winds will make temperatures feel like it is in the single digits throughout the day. After night falls, temperatures will fall to around 14 degrees, though winds will largely die down.
