Columbia shelters prepare for extreme weekend cold

COLUMBIA. Mo. (KMIZ)

Local shelters are taking extra steps to make sure that people are provided a space through the weekend as Mid-Missouri enters temperatures in single digits.

The Room at the Inn homeless shelter will open an overflow site at Rock Bridge Christian Church on Saturday evening, the organization said on its Facebook page.

The shelter already has locations at the Unitarian Church and the Eastwood Motel. If these locations are full, guests will be shuttled to Rock Bridge Christian Church.

Debby Graham, Room at the Inn board president, said, Unitarian Universalist Church can accommodate 36 guests, Eastwood shelter can accommodate 26-27 guests, and RBCC would be able to shelter 16 guests.

Graham said the Eastwood shelter location is for isolation and quarantine space, plus those guests who may have medical conditions that would make them vulnerable to COVID. 

The three sites will remain open through Sunday because of the dangerous conditions. The low in Columbia overnight Saturday will dip into the single digits with highs Sunday not getting out of the 20s.

"All cots are spaced 10 feet apart and we have erected partitions between each cot." said Graham. She said guests are required to wear a mask at all time except while in their cot area.

The City of Columbia will open a temporary overnight warming center at Wabash Bus Station Saturday and Sunday.

The station will open to guests from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. as a resource for people who are unable to access local emergency shelter services.

"This is a central location where anyone can come, no questions asked," said Sara Humm, spokeswoman for the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Humm said the additional site was opened to the public with the possibility of life-threatening cold that could lead to hyperthermia and frostbite.

Curtiss Hartley with the Salvation Army Harbor House Shelter said staff is preparing for this weekend, but with COVID-19 guidelines the organization has less space than usual.

"We have 13 cots here in Columbia, and 11 cots spaced in Jefferson City and we are prepared when temperatures drop below freezing for folks to come in and have a warm place to spend the evening," Hartley said.

Hartley said the shelter will have snacks for guests in the evenings and breakfast before they leave in the morning.

Columbia's warming centers include:

• ARC (Activity and Recreation Center), 1701 W. Ash St.
• Boone County Government Center, 801 E. Walnut St.
• Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, 1005 W. Worley St.

Other options are available. Columbia's official shelters include:

• Room at the Inn. Visit roomattheinncomo.org for dates and locations
• Salvation Army Harbor House (men, women and families), 602 N. Ann St.
• St. Francis House (for men), 901 Range Line St. - no availability at this time
• Lois Bryant House (women and families), 913 Range Line St. - no availability at this time
• Rainbow House (for children/youth), 1611 Towne Drive.
• True North (for domestic violence), please call 573-875-1370
• Welcome Home (for veterans), 2120 Business Loop 70 E.

Columbia City Council, Second Ward Council member Mike Trapp, said Room At The Inn, Harbor House and St Francis House are doing the heavy lifting this winter. 

Humm said the city will continue to monitor temperatures into next week as temperatures remain low to determine if the location should stay open longer.