On March 3, the Knoxville City Council is set to debate a move that could be the difference between life and death on frigid nights, raising the activation temperature for volunteer-run warming centers from 25°F to 32°F and pressing city staff to boost funding and hands-on support.
The proposal is landing as the city confronts a grim trend in deaths among people experiencing homelessness, with 161 deaths recorded in 2025, up from 141 in 2024, and after recent icy storms that killed multiple residents in Knox County.
The measure is listed on the March 3 council agenda and would direct the administration to analyze the city’s warming- and cooling-center model, pursue more funding and staffing, improve transportation to sites, and look at using city-owned buildings as emergency shelters staffed by city employees, according to WATE. The agenda summary also asks officials to consider shelter options for people who are banned from shelters or who are dealing with trauma, addiction, or serious mental-health challenges.
What a 32-degree threshold would change
Right now, Knoxville’s warming centers open on nights when temperatures hit 25°F or lower, a threshold city officials say helps keep the volunteer network sustainable throughout the winter. As the City of Knoxville reports, moving that trigger to 32°F would significantly increase the number of nights the sites need to operate. Local coordinators and churches warn that such a shift would stretch volunteers and supplies, according to WVLT, especially if more frequent openings are not backed up with reliable funding and staffing.
Why advocates are pushing for warmer criteria
Advocates are pointing to the city’s mortality figures and the recent winter deaths as evidence that the current 25°F standard leaves people exposed to dangerous cold. City documents counted 161 people who died while experiencing homelessness in 2025, up from 141 in 2024, according to WATE. The city told WATE that using 32°F as the activation temperature would bring Knoxville in line with other major Tennessee cities, although officials also warned that any change would demand more consistent financial support and staff time.
What happens next, and where to plug in
Council members are slated to take up the resolution at the March 3 meeting. If it passes, staff would be asked to come back with a detailed cost and operations analysis before any official policy shift takes effect.
For now, Knoxville’s winter network is still the first line of defense when the cold hits. The current list of warming-center locations, donation instructions, and volunteer signups is posted by the City of Knoxville. Local partners, including KARM and the Salvation Army, continue to offer overflow shelter. Regionally, the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless keeps an updated list of warming and shelter sites, some of which already open at 32°F or below, according to the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless.
Council members who want to weigh in can attend the March 3 meeting or contact their council representative, and residents who want to volunteer, donate, or request transportation to a warming center are encouraged to check the city’s winter-warming page or call 311 for the latest opening information. We will be watching the council agenda and city briefings for any staff analysis or amendments ahead of the vote.
