Springfield warming center to close Thursday, reopen for bitter temps this weekend

Harold Denney, who has been living under the Fountain Avenue Bridge, is taking advantage of the Extreme Cold Weather Homeless Shelter Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 in the Springfield Salvation Army gymnasium. The City of Springfield is partnering with the Nehemiah Foundation Faith Community Crisis Response Team, the Salvation Army, Sheltered Inc. and Homefull and has opened an Extreme Cold Weather Homeless Shelter to help those living on the street escape the bitter cold. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

Harold Denney, who has been living under the Fountain Avenue Bridge, is taking advantage of the Extreme Cold Weather Homeless Shelter Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 in the Springfield Salvation Army gymnasium. The City of Springfield is partnering with the Nehemiah Foundation Faith Community Crisis Response Team, the Salvation Army, Sheltered Inc. and Homefull and has opened an Extreme Cold Weather Homeless Shelter to help those living on the street escape the bitter cold. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Springfield’s new Extreme Cold Weather Shelter will close Thursday at 11 a.m. as temperatures rise, but it will reopen this weekend for colder weather.

The shelter, located at 14 S. Plum St., will reopen Saturday at 4 p.m. and close Monday at 9 a.m., according to a Facebook post from the Salvation Army.

“The forecast says it will warm up into double digits Thursday/Friday and then dip back into dangerous single digits over the weekend,” Aaron Roy, flourishing neighborhoods initiative director at the Nehemiah Foundation and faith community crisis response team director, wrote in the post. “We want to make sure we get folks a warm place to stay. This is a part we can play as it takes many organizations to care for our unsheltered neighbors throughout the whole year.”

There is a chance of snow Thursday after 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m. in Springfield, according to the National Weather Service. Snow is also expected on Friday before 2 p.m. and before 8 p.m.

This weekend will be much colder. During the day Saturday, the temperature is forecast to hover around 18 degrees and drop to 6 degrees that night. On Sunday, the high will be 22 degrees and the low is forecast to be 14 degrees.

The city last week announced the partnership between the Nehemiah Foundation Faith Community Crisis Response Team, Salvation Army, Sheltered Inc. and Homefull, plus the Community Development Department of the city of Springfield to offer shelter to people experiencing homelessness during the extreme cold.

Traditional shelters will remain in operation.

Those seeking assistance should contact the Community Emergency Shelter Access Point offered by Sheltered Inc. Intake at 440 W. High St. or at 937-521-1071. Calls received after hours will be connected to on-call staff for assistance.

The shelters are:

• Norm’s Place, for single women, and women and families;

• Hartley House, for single men;

• Homefull at the EI, for non-congregate emergency homeless shelter services for families, and for additional beds in a congregate setting for adults in need of night shelter. Homefull at the El appears to be the new name for the shelter at the former Executive Inn, 325 W. Columbia St.

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