Returning Harsh Temperatures Cause Reopening
CINCINNATI, OH – March 4, 2015 – Makeshift winter shelter services will continue until the all five new Hamilton County homeless shelters open to serve the increased need for beds. As harsh winter temperatures and snow return to the area today, additional space – the upstairs of the Drop Inn Center located at 217 W. 12th Street – is scheduled to reopen tonight, Thursday and Friday. Organizers will continue to monitor the temperatures and will make the space available as needed.
Year-round emergency shelters do not have the capacity to serve all homeless people during the coldest months of the winter, so Strategies to End Homelessness, the Drop Inn Center, Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church add seasonal Winter Shelter capacity to ensure that everyone has a safe, warm place to sleep. This has been a particularly harsh winter and since late November, Winter Shelter capacity has been operating at two-thirds of the total full capacity of 150 beds.
In Hamilton County, 670 emergency shelter beds are available throughout the year. An additional 100-150 Winter Shelter beds are made available from mid-December through February, typically the coldest months of the year. No one will ever be turned away, even when reaching full capacity.
“We are working toward opening the new men’s and women’s Drop Inn Shelters and City Gospel Mission later this year and have raised $38 million of the $41 million capital funds needed to make that happen,” said Kevin Finn, president and CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness. “When these shelters open, our community will have transformed the way we serve our homeless – we will be able to provide the services they need to move toward housing and self sufficiency.”
Donations to support the Winter Shelter can be made through Strategies to End Homelessness by visiting www.wintersheltercincy.org, or calling 513.263.2790.
