Additional homeless services in Columbia begin Monday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Monday, Nov. 28, Room at the Inn will begin providing overnight emergency shelter services and Turning Point will begin offering overnight warming center and Sunday homeless drop-in center services.

Room at the Inn's winter overnight shelter will open Monday, Nov. 28 and run through April 2, 2023. The shelter will be open from 7 p.m.-8 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 7 p.m.-9 a.m. on Sundays. Room at the Inn will operate in the City of Columbia's recently acquired building at 1509 Ashley St.

Starting Nov. 28, guests can use city buses to get to and from Room at the Inn as Go COMO Transit will extend the orange route to the Ashley Street Center on weekdays and on Saturdays.  Shuttles from the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen to the Room at the Inn shelter will be provided on Saturday and Sunday evenings. 

The City of Columbia has contracted with Turning Point to provide overnight warming center services at Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church, 702 Wilkes Blvd. The Turning Point overnight warming center services will be available from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. Nov. 28 through April 2 when temperatures are forecasted by the National Weather Service to be 25 degrees or lower

The overnight warming center will again serve as a refuge of last resort for those unable to access local emergency shelter services. City and Turning Point staff will continue to coordinate closely with homeless service providers to ensure low barrier access to overnight emergency shelter as the preferred option for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

Turning Point will also be offering additional homeless drop-in center services on Sunday afternoons from 12:30-4:30 p.m. between Dec. 4- April 2, with the exception of Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, when Room at the Inn will be open all day. 

Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services also coordinates a network of warming and cooling centers in the community. As the temperature begins to drop, the public is reminded of several locations in Columbia available to those who need shelter from the cold.

Columbia's warming centers include:

• The ARC, 1701 W. Ash St.
• City Hall, 701 East Broadway
• Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, 1005 W. Worley St.
• Columbia Public Library, 100 W. Broadway
• Salvation Army, 1108 W. Ash St.
• Salvation Army Harbor House, 602 N. Ann St.
• St. Francis House, 901 Range Line St.
  
  Columbia's shelters include:

• Flourish (for teens), please call 573.615.6135.
• Room at the Inn (beginning Nov. 28), 1509 Ashley St.  
• Salvation Army Harbor House (men, women and families), 602 N. Ann St.
• Rainbow House (for children/youth), 1611 Towne Dr.
• True North (for domestic violence), please call 573.875.1370.
• Welcome Home (for veterans), 2120 Business Loop 70 E.
• St. Francis House (for men), 901 Range Line St. - must be vaccinated for COVID-19 to stay overnight.