ALLENTOWN, Pa. – With freezing temps back in our region, the YMCA warming station has reopened to give people a place to stay safe from the cold.
This comes five days after its seasonal closing date.
Just days after temperatures felt more like summer, overnight conditions are now turning sharply colder prompting the Allentown River Crossing YMCA to reopen its warming station.
“Our normal closing time is April 15 this year. We’ve decided to expand that time till April 30, operating under our code blue,” says Tami Unger, Branch Director Allentown River Crossing YMCA. “We did look at the forecast, it appearing to be under 32 degrees for a night or two. Not knowing how the weather would shift, we decided to open for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evening.”
The YMCA warming station has an 80-bed capacity and typically operates under code blue conditions when temps drop below freezing.
“We will be open if it’s under 32 degrees at night. We’ll make that call a few days in advance. We’ll post it on our social media so individuals can look it up and see that we will be open,” says Unger.
Sunday night, officials say 33 individuals used the space. In addition to the warming station reopening, the YMCA is offering service hubs through the end of April from 8 a.m. through 11 a.m. to help unhoused individuals work with community partners to find other housing resources available.
“Resources are out there at the local day center. So, Ripple Community and Daybreak at the conference of Churches are day centers. They have case management that is there for the individuals to go to and work through other options for housing,” says Unger.
The warming station will be open again Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m, with the possibility of being extended to more days if temperatures stay this cold.