Columbia’s winter shelter opens as temperatures plummet

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

People made use of the new, permanent location of Columbia's Room at the Inn homeless shelter as the temperature plunged overnight Sunday.

The shelter operators posted on Facebook on Sunday evening that cots were beginning to fill up but some vacancies remained.

Sunday was the first night for the shelter this season. The National Weather Service recorded a low of 27 degrees at the Columbia Regional Airport on Monday morning with a wind chill of 19 degrees. Sub-freezing temperatures are expected with lows in the teens and 20s through Thursday morning.

Columbia's Room At The Inn said Sunday that it will stay open every night for the first time in 16 years. In the past, Room at the Inn was mobile, changing its site regularly from church to church.

The new location on Ashley Street is expected to help shelter homeless people until the city builds a permanent option. That could take between one to three years, according to city leaders. The Columbia City Council approved more than $865,000 for the project in October.

The site will be open Monday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. On Sundays, the shelter will open from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Jefferson City's overnight shelter is also preparing to open its doors as the cold comes. Room At The Inn in Jefferson City has changed its location to the First Baptist Church at 107 Monroe St. and will open its doors on Dec. 1.

The shelter is seeking volunteers and has a training event scheduled Nov. 7.