When freezing temperatures arrive in Memphis, they can create hazardous conditions for people without shelter or whose homes don’t have heat. If you need help staying warm this winter, overnight shelter may be available.
The Hospitality Hub is operating its warming center for the winter of 2025-2026 at First Baptist Church on the northeast corner of Poplar Avenue and East Parkway. Its address is 200 East Parkway North.
Get more stories like this in your inbox every Wednesday in The Weekly.
Subscribe to MLK50’s newsletter
and get Memphis-rooted news and insights
right-sized for your neighborhood.
Unlike last winter, all warming center clients are sheltered at this location when temperatures drop. That includes single people of all genders, couples, and families with children.
Each day, the city’s Office of Emergency Management decides whether to open the warming center that evening. Here’s what criteria automatically trigger a warming center opening:
- Temperatures of 32° or below with a 70% or higher chance of precipitation
- Temperatures of 28° or below without precipitation
- Wind chills of 24° or below, regardless of the temperature without wind chill
These conditions are determined based on National Weather Service forecasts. In order for the warming center to remain open around the clock, these conditions must be forecast to continue through the daytime as well.
The Hospitality Hub, which operates the center on behalf of the City of Memphis, announces each day whether the center will open that evening on Facebook and Instagram. Its opening and closing hours may change day to day, so clients should check online before they arrive.
“OEM will ensure notifications are distributed by noon on the day of activation,” said Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Qwanesha Ward. “Operating hours are determined by the Hospitality Hub.”
How can I seek shelter at a warming center?
Memphians seeking shelter from the elements simply need to show up at First Baptist Church when it opens for warming center operations. This opening time can shift depending on the weather.
“If it starts warming up after the announcement is made, we’ll keep the opening time the same. If it starts getting colder earlier we’ll shift the opening time up,” said Hospitality Hub spokesperson Su Hartline. The best way to find updates about the center’s opening time is to check the Hub’s social media pages.
Clients can arrive at any time during the center’s hours of operation, including overnight. They do not need to provide an ID or other documentation to seek shelter at the warming center — they merely need to sign in when they arrive.
Cots, blankets and snacks are provided at the warming center, which has enough resources available to serve over 100 people. A sack meal is also provided in the evening while supplies last.
Unsheltered people can request a free ride to the warming center by calling 901-486-0939. Transportation to the center begins half an hour before it opens, according to a Hospitality Hub spokesperson.
Are there other warming centers located in Memphis?
The Hospitality Hub runs the city’s only official overnight warming center, but shelter from the elements during the day is available at government buildings like community centers and public libraries.
“Monday through Thursday, citizens may utilize any City of Memphis building,” Ward said. “Therefore, warming and cooling centers will open for citizens after City of Memphis buildings have closed.”
Unhoused families with children under 18 can also call the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association’s 24-hour hotline for homeless families at 901-529-4545.
Have you sheltered in Memphis’ warming center? Tell MLK50 about your experience by emailing the author of this story at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
This story is brought to you byMLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.