Philly warming centers: Places to seek warmth, shelter amid frigid weather
PHILADELPHIA - The city of Philadelphia has opened 20 new warming centers to help keep folks warm amid the freezing temperatures during the first storm of the winter.
The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) declared a Code Blue for the city last Thursday until further notice due to the extreme weather conditions.
On Sunday, the city opened two warming centers at the Juniata Older Adult Center (1251 E. Sedgley Avenue), and Inn of Amazing Mercy (115 E. Huntingdon Street), located in Kensington. The city says 43 individuals had visited the centers, six of whom were moved into shelters, by the end of the day.
"The freezing temperatures outside can be life threatening. These new Warming Centers are not just for people experiencing homelessness or sleeping outdoors. Anyone is welcome. In the case of power outages, for example, some people may need to visit a warming center," said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "We remain committed to ensuring there are quick and easy ways for people to stay safe, like keeping warm during Code Blue events, and are always looking for new ways to keep our residents and most vulnerable populations connected to services."
How to find a warming center
- See the full list of warming centers in Philadelphia here.
- Walk into any Warming Center
- Call the City's Homeless Street Outreach Team at (215) 232-1984
What to do if you need shelter
If shelter is needed, one may walk into any city-funded intake center or call Homeless Street Outreach at (215) 232-1984.
OHS has added 100 additional beds in shelters to accommodate needs during the Code Blue emergency.
Snow safety
"While the snowfall in the Philadelphia region has concluded, the Streets Department crews continue to make sure streets are treated and safe and are on standby to assist as needed," said Managing Director Adam K. Thiel. "Thanks to precautions all of our departments have taken to be fully prepared based on the snow forecast uncertainty, we are in great shape and continue to focus on emergency care for residents while a Code Blue is active and will continue to do so given the predicted below-freezing temperatures throughout the week."
The Department of Streets began snow operations on Saturday as crews pre-treated the roadways in preparation of the winter weather event overnight Monday.
Monday morning, crews began salting all residential city roadways. The city says additional teams are on standby to assist with a salting and plowing operation as needed.
The City says it has 350 pieces of equipment treating the streets, 45,000 tons of salt and 500 City workers tackling the winter snow storm.
If you see someone who needs shelter, call (215) 232-1984.