As temperatures drop and the weather turns threatening, the City of St. Louis doubles down on its commitment to offer sanctuary for those seeking respite from the cold. According to a social media post by the City of St. Louis Government, emergency shelters were activated yesterday at 6 p.m. and will continue to remain open through Wednesday at 9 a.m. This initiative, falling under Code Blue protocols, comes just in time as snow is anticipated to blanket the city on Saturday.
The Street Department isn't hesitating to pre-treat snow routes beginning Friday, a proactive move to keep essential pathways clear. Within the shelter system, 285 emergency shelter beds are ready, with the ability to surge to 345 if necessary. This is in addition to the 400 year-round shelter beds that the city maintains. Since the Code Blue was initially activated on Nov. 26, "The City and its partners have been able to serve all individuals and families who sought shelter," the City of St. Louis Government noted, stating they will continue to monitor for the need of additional beds.
Three walk-up shelters are open for single men, women, and families: the Peter & Paul – Jugan Shelter on North Florissant Ave., the Biddle Housing Opportunities Center on North 13th St., and the Peter & Paul – Sidney Shelter on Sidney St. They accept guests from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., people looking for shelter should call the United Way 211 Helpline. If any of the walk-up shelters are full, transportation will be provided to another location with available space.
The city has set up several rally points in North, Central, and South City to help with transportation. Locations include the Urban League Women’s Business Center, the Wellston Loop Community Development Corporation, Centenary United Methodist Church, and the Loughborough Commons parking lot. Each rally point offers a warming area or bus and has a Metro Call-A-Ride shuttle with a driver and outreach worker to take people directly to a shelter.
The City of St. Louis and partner organizations are monitoring the weather and will continue to share updates about shelter availability and other emergency measures during the cold weather.
