Charlotte shelters expand capacity as temperatures drop. Here’s where to find help
Two Charlotte homeless shelters were expanding their capacity Tuesday night as temperatures drop below freezing, Mecklenburg County officials said.
The Men’s Shelter of Charlotte/Urban Ministry Center and Salvation Army Center of Hope will take in more people who need a warm place to sleep. The Salvation Army will not turn anyone away and will be open 24 hours.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s Tuesday and Wednesday with accompanying high winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Charlotte Area Transit System buses will transport people for free Tuesday and Wednesday to the Men’s Shelter locations at 1210 N. Tryon St. and 3410 Statesville Ave., or to the Salvation Army, 534 Spratt St.
The Urban Ministry Center Day Services Center, 945 N. College St., will open at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials have moved away from a specific temperature threshold to trigger such expansions, said Hannah Sanborn, emergency management planner for Charlotte Mecklenburg Emergency management.
Now a shelter task force of city and county officials, emergency management and homelessness service providers monitor weather conditions, shelter capacities and other factors to make that call.
“If we have to go to some overflow, then our shelter task force will provide additional support so that anyone who needs to come in overnight can do so,” Sanborn said.
Previous temperature thresholds have been criticized for being insufficient to meet the population’s needs.
This work was made possible in part by grant funding from Report for America/GroundTruth Project and the Foundation For The Carolinas.
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