Warming shelters opened at 8 pm Sunday, January 29 due to harsh cold weather. No one will be turned away from the shelters. Hot meals will be provided and pets will be allowed at the shelters. The shelters will remain open through the course of the severe winter temperatures.
Five shelters opened Sunday:
-Arbor Lodge, 7440 N. Denver Ave. (corner of N. Lombard and N. Denver.)
-Charles Jordan Community Center, 9009 N. Foss Ave.
-Salvation Army Moore Street Gymnasium, 5325 N. Williams Ave.
-The Portland Building, 1120 S.W. 5th Ave.
-East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106th Ave.
In Washington County, two shelters opened on Saturday and will remain open until the cold weather passes.
-The Salvation Army Building, 1440 Southeast 21st Avenue, Hillsboro
-Beaverton Community Center, 12350 Southwest 5th Street, Beaverton
The Washington County shelters said that they are providing hot meals, and will not turn anyone away.
Five warming shelters expanded capacity to 400 beds amid life-threatening winter weather. More than 220 people sought shelter Saturday night, exceeding the original capacity of the county- and city-run emergency shelters.
The shelters may reopen nightly as long as below-freezing conditions persist. The National Weather Service is forecasted a high of 37 degrees and overnight low of 24 degrees last Sunday. While severe weather shelters are not open during the day time, anyone seeking refuge indoors can go to a Multnomah County library.
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson declared a state of emergency starting at 6 pm Saturday, citing the life-threatening danger the weather poses to unhoused people in the county.
“We’re taking this severe cold snap seriously,” Vega Pederson said in a press release Saturday. “Please seek shelter, check on your neighbors, share information and volunteer at one of our shelters if you can.”
Anyone traveling to or from a warm location can ride TriMet regardless of their ability to pay fare. Residents can also call 2-1-1, the county helpline, to coordinate a ride to a shelter.
