SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Near-record cold is sending more people to Scranton’s emergency shelters, as a Code Blue alert keeps doors open to protect the city’s most vulnerable.
Officials in Lackawanna County and the City of Scranton have extended a Code Blue Frigid Weather Alert, in effect from 8 p.m. tonight through Sunday morning. With temperatures expected to fall below 20 degrees, emergency shelters will remain open to shelter those at risk.
Three emergency shelters in Scranton will be open, including St. Anthony’s Haven, Weston Field House, and the Community Intervention Center.
Supervisors report emergency shelters are busier than ever due to the extreme temperatures.
Program Supervisor of St. Anthony’s Haven, Weston Field House, and St. James Manor, Jessica Spangenberg, said while St. Anthony’s Haven operates year-round, Weston Field House opens during Code Blue to provide additional space.
“The difference is Code Blue is the emergency shelter that is over at Weston Field. So, what that means is when Code Blue is declared, then that’s open. Otherwise, it’s not. Code Blue will be declared when the temperature is 20 degrees or below. And when that is declared, we open Weston Field because we have 20 male beds and six female at St. Anthony. We have the ability to hold up to 50 over at Weston Field,” said Spangenberg.
Weston Field House reached its highest capacity this past weekend as freezing temperatures drove more people to seek shelter, said Spangenberg.
“When we started out with Code Blue at Weston Field, we were seeing about, on average, I’d say anywhere between 24 to 30 adults, men and women per night in this past weekend, we hit capacity. So, it has significantly increased,” said Spangenberg.
Spangenberg said the shelters, especially St. Anthony’s, are able to operate thanks to strong community support and staff who work around the clock, even during regional snowstorms.
“The staff really, really has gone above and beyond, especially with the storm staying overnight. And they didn’t hesitate when I pitched it to them, I was a little nervous, but they all said sure,” Spangenberg.
“It really makes me proud to be a part of this community. It does. It takes a lot of people, and we have endless amounts of offers for help and donations, food, and for everything. There’s a lot going on right now in the world, and this is needed now more than ever,” Spangenberg.
The emergency shelters work in partnership with the City of Scranton, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton, the Community Intervention Center, and the Lackawanna County Emergency Management Agency.