Update: Nov. 30, 2022
The City of Santa Rosa Extends Warming Center Opening
The warming center in downtown Santa Rosa to remain open for an additional two nights, through Saturday morning, Dec. 3
Santa Rosa City Manager Maraskeshia Smith has authorized an extension of the City’s temporary warming center activation to keep the center in downtown Santa Rosa open an additional two nights, through Saturday morning, Dec. 3. The warming center is open during the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Fire Department recommended the extension based on updated forecasting from the National Weather Service (NWS), which projects continued extreme cold and rain in Santa Rosa through Friday night. The City’s Extreme Weather Warming Center Policy directs the opening of the warming center whenever the NWS forecasts three consecutive days with overnight lows below 32-degrees Fahrenheit, or three consecutive nights of rainfall with major or extreme risk levels as determined by the NWS, or a combination of these two extreme weather events.
The City of Santa Rosa, in partnership with Catholic Charities, opened the temporary drop-in warming center on Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, and originally planned to close the center on Thursday morning. Seventy-two individuals used the warming center as an opportunity to get out of the cold on Tuesday night.
The temporary warming center, which is located at Catholic Charities’ new Caritas Center at 301 6th St.; the entrance is on Morgan and 6th Streets, has indoor space available to host up to 78 individuals, and, if needed, an outdoor courtyard within the facility will be warmed by low-profile radiant heaters to host up to an additional 90 individuals.
The City continues to notify community members of the Warming Center opening, including outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Rosa. The Warming Center is a drop-in place to warm up and charge devices; it is not a shelter, and no cots for sleeping are provided. However, individuals who seek indoor emergency shelter will be provided with a referral.
Community members interested in helping those in need during this period of extreme weather, and while the warming center is open, are asked to provide donations of cold weather items, such as new or gently used blankets, sleeping bags, socks, winter hats, and scarves. Catholic Charities staff will be available to accept donations through Friday at Caritas Center, 301 6t Street, at the entrance on Morgan and 6th Streets.
The City follows a Housing First strategy to address homelessness, providing individualized assistance to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with services and shelter, with the goal of helping them to transition from being homeless into housing.
Visit srcity.org/ExtremeCold to learn more about cold weather preparedness, including safety tips.
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Original Post: Nov. 28, 2022
The City of Santa Rosa, in partnership with Catholic Charities, will open a temporary drop-in warming center for residents who need a place to get out of the weather this week during forecasted extreme cold and rain. The National Weather Service is projecting a combination of temperatures dipping below freezing early this week and periods of heavy rainfall beginning mid-week.
The warming center will open Tues. evening, Nov. 29, and operate during the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until Thurs. morning, Dec. 1. It will be located at the Homeless Services Center of Catholic Charities’ new Caritas Center in downtown Santa Rosa at 301 6th St. Suite 108; the entrance is on Morgan and 6th Streets. The Caritas Center facility has indoor space available to host up to 78 individuals, and, if needed, an outdoor courtyard within the facility will be warmed by low-profile radiant heaters to host up to an additional 90 individuals.
The City is notifying community members of the Warming Center opening, including outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Rosa. The Warming Center is a drop-in place to warm up and charge devices; it is not a shelter, and no cots for sleeping will be provided. However, individuals who seek indoor emergency shelter will be provided with a referral. The City follows a Housing First strategy to address homelessness, providing individualized assistance to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with services and shelter, with the goal of helping them to transition from being homeless into housing.
Visit srcity.org/ExtremeCold to learn more about cold weather preparedness, including safety tips.