Freezing temperatures returned to Memphis this week, creating dangerous conditions for people without shelter or whose homes don’t have heat. If you need help staying warm during the extreme cold currently gripping the city, here’s where you should go:
- Single women can shelter at the Hospitality Hub’s main location at 590 Washington Ave.
- Single men and co-ed couples can shelter at First Baptist Church at 200 East Parkway North.
- Families with kids should visit the Hospitality Hub for placement in a hotel until the cold weather subsides.
“Both locations are open today, probably through sometime Saturday, until the weather improves,” said Jessica Houari, the Hub’s director of program operations, in a video posted to its Facebook page Wednesday.
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Hospitality Hub executive director Kelcey Johnson said the centers will remain open through Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on weather conditions and the city’s discretion.
He estimated that nearly 200 people were sheltering at First Baptist Church around noon Thursday, including around 10 couples. The Hub’s main location was sheltering just under 120 people around that time.
Here’s what else to know about Memphis’ warming shelters amid cold winter weather.
Do I have to be unhoused to seek shelter at a warming center in Memphis?
Memphis’ warning centers are open to all, although Johnson emphasized that they are intended for people with nowhere else to go.
“Everybody who comes here is not unhoused — they may be living somewhere where there’s no heat,” he said. “If somebody comes here and they have no other options, we’re going to take care of them.”
You do not need to provide an ID or other documentation to seek shelter at a warming center — you merely need to sign in when you arrive. Unsheltered people can request a ride to a warming center by calling 901-297-1680.
“We strive to provide a safe, kind, and respectful environment for all,” the Hub wrote in several social media posts about the warming centers.
What amenities are provided at the warming centers?
Warming center clients are offered three meals per day, and blankets are available while supplies last. Currently, there are no open beds at either warming center, but no one will be turned away. The Hub has access to overflow space in a community center if the need for shelter surpasses its current capacity.
While the Hub’s 80 beds are currently full, around 36 more women are sleeping on mats or blankets on the floor, Johnson said. There are no beds at First Baptist Church, where men and couples without children are sheltering.
Warming center guests are allowed to bring their belongings with them, and there is a separate area at the Hub’s building for those who need to remain with their service animals. Otherwise, the organization has kennel space available for pets.
Will my family be split up if we go to a warming center?
According to Johnson, any family group with children is being sent to hotels for the duration of the cold snap. That includes single-parent and multi-parent families. Couples without children can stay together by sheltering at First Baptist Church.
Where else can I shelter from the cold in Memphis?
The Hospitality Hub runs the city’s only official warming centers, but shelter may be available elsewhere in your neighborhood.
The Whitehaven, Raleigh, Cordova and Central branches of the Memphis Public Library are open from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The library is posting updated hours to its social media pages during the current winter weather.
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.
Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
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