Warming Centers For Unhoused People Open Across W.Va.

In Parkersburg, staff at the LaTrobe Street Mission unloaded extra cots on Friday to accommodate as many people as possible during the winter storm that’s expected to hit over the weekend.

And if they get more people than beds?

“We won’t turn anybody away,” said shelter Director Crystal Neff. “We’ll find ‘em a sleeping bag or a blanket, whatever we have, to make sure everybody’s safe.”

Across the state, homelessness service providers are scrambling to get warming centers ready to open before the snow begins to fall.  

“We’re looking at 4 to 8 inches of snow mixed with freezing rain and sleet in Charleston starting late Saturday into Sunday with more snow showers on Sunday and Monday,” said Meteorologist Joe Curtis with the Charleston office of the National Weather Service.

“In the northern and eastern panhandle it’s more like 10 to 12 inches with more ice in the southern coalfield areas,” he said. 

In Huntington, “Our City Mission, they actually open their lobbies 24/7  during cold spells, so anybody can get out of the weather,” said Jan Rader, senior adviser to the mayor.

“We have had up to 115 overnight in the emergency shelter. We only have bedding for about 94, but we’re going to make sure that people can stay warm,” Rader said.

In Charleston, the Kanawha Valley Collective (KVC) has arranged to open a shelter from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with a daytime warming center opening at 7 a.m.

“So basically there will be 24-hour coverage for individuals to be inside, because not only is it going to be dangerously cold at night, it’s not really going to get warm during the day,” said Traci Strickland, the KVC’s executive director. 

Her biggest fear, Strickland said, is the volume of snow expected and whether staff and food will be able to make it in.

“So we’re actually gearing up with extra staff to come in on Saturday, so that, if needed, staff can take breaks and sleep,” she said.

Major metropolitan areas of West Virginia all have provision for overnight service, some daytime hours and in most cases food.  

Advocates like Ashley Hawkins with the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness say the biggest concern is with unhoused people in rural communities – where services are harder to find.  

“We have had people who have died outside unsheltered in the winter before and this is projected to be one of the largest storms that we’ve had in decades,” Hawkins said. “To be very honest with you, I am genuinely concerned,” she said.

Prolonged exposure to the temperatures can be very dangerous, said Dr. Steven Eshenaur, health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.

“We are expecting temperatures to drop down into the negatives, and that’s very concerning because any skin that is exposed for any significant period of time is at risk of frostbite, and of course, frostbite in your toes and fingers is also at high risk, even if you’re wearing shoes,” Eshenaur said. 

“When it’s that cold, it is so important to try to get a plan and get to a shelter, get with somebody that you can stay with, to try to stay out of these temperatures,” he said.

Hawkins said in the 44 counties the coalition serves in West Virginia, last year’s Point In Time count identified 587 who were living outside. She expects this year’s annual count will show similar numbers.

“So that 587 number from last year truly represents the individuals in our state who literally have nowhere else to go when the weather gets this bad,” Hawkins said. “We have had people who have died outside unsheltered in the winter before and this is projected to be one of the largest storms that we’ve had in decades. To be very honest with you, I am genuinely concerned.”

While services are generally available and accessible in metropolitan areas, “there are various small towns and cities who are scrambling to try to establish locations for emergency warming shelters right now,” Hawkins said. 

Then the challenge becomes how to get the word out to those who may need the help. The coalition, she said, essentially acts as a clearing house and can make references to services available in all 55 counties. For more information and to check on services available across the state, call 304-842-9522 or visit the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. The United Way also operates a hotline for referrals to up-to-date services across the state. Call 211 or text your zipcode to  898-211.