‘A place to come in from the cold.’ Elk Grove to open warming centers for city’s unhoused
Elk Grove will open warming centers this winter to shelter the city’s unhoused during life-threatening cold weather.
Elk Grove city and faith leaders joined with volunteers Wednesday outside Sun Grove Church in the city’s Laguna West neighborhood, one of a dozen designated Overnight Warming Locations, or OWLs, that will be mobilized across the city when the mercury falls.
“When temperatures are near freezing, everyone should have a place to come in from the cold,” Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said.
Most locations will offer hot meals and warm beds for adults who need them, Singh-Allen said.
The Elk Grove OWL Cooperative builds on the efforts of Elk Grove, local churches and groups such as Elk Grove HART over the years to address homelessness and shelter in the city, City Councilman Patrick Hume said.
“We can provide shelter from the harsh elements. Having a group of folks dedicated on the ground who have the experience and motivation to give a helping hand makes the city’s job easier, “ Hume said. “It’s the faith-based community and these networks that make that happen.”
The effort begins Dec. 1 and extends through April 30. An Elk Grove OWL location will open to adults 18 and older whenever weather conditions become dangerous for people living outdoors or who live in homes without adequate heat:
▪ When RealFeel temperatures of 34 degrees are forecast for two straight days.
▪ Whenever a 75% chance of rain is forecast for two days in a row.
▪ Whenever sustained winds of 15 mph or higher and temperatures of 36 degrees are predicted for back-to-back days.
Families with children will be referred to Elk Grove Hart’s motel voucher program.
Churches will sign up to offer their site as an overnight shelter for two to four weeks if the weather threshold is met. An OWL location will get 48 hours notice to prepare to open its doors.
“In essence, volunteers will be on stand-by to step forward when needed this winter,” Elk Grove HART board president Diane Lampe said.
A mass mobile phone notification system will let unsheltered people in the city know when and where an overnight shelter will be open.
Elk Grove police and members of Elk Grove HART, or Homeless Assistance Resource Team, are gathering names and phone numbers of homeless people in the city to enter into the alert system. Police volunteers will deliver cots and sleeping bags to the overnight sites, Lampe said.
Text and email alerts will go out via the city’s Everbridge notification system and shared on Elk Grove city social media accounts whenever a location opens.
Sign up to receive notifications at elkgrovecity.org/owl.
Anywhere from 150 to 300 people are homeless in Elk Grove, officials said Wednesday, seeking shelter under bridges, freeway overpasses and along the city’s winding networks of trails, creeks and drainage canals.
Five unhoused people who died last year in Sacramento County fell victim to the elements, Lampe said.
“Last year, our county experience an unavoidable tragedy. We must avoid this from happening again,” Lampe said, calling the cooperative “an effective way to be sure the unhoused have a safe and protected option during severe weather.”
Singh-Allen says the weather thresholds for opening the locations will supersede state and county recommendations for opening similar shelters.
“The first thing I did as mayor was to take a look at the warming centers,” Singh-Allen said. Addressing homelessness has been a stated priority of Singh-Allen’s in her first term as mayor. “We’re coming together as a community for our community. We can accommodate all of those who are unhoused.”
Sun Grove at 2285 Longport Court, a converted fitness center near Laguna Boulevard and Interstate 5, has shower facilities.
“We want to bless those who are out in the cold. This church used to be a gym. We have hot showers, a space for hot meals.” said the church’s Debbie Schoeneshoefer, a HART founding member. “Elk Grove is a large town that feels like a small one. We care for each other.”
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