WASHINGTON — With a Weather Watch Alert still in effect and Arctic air hanging around through the weekend, D.C. has activated its "Cold Emergency Alert." The alert is activated in D.C. when the temperatures and wind chill drop below 15 degrees or when the temperatures along with the wind chill is 20 degrees and is accompanied by snow, rain or other possible severe weather.
Those temperatures activate the opening of an additional 13 hypothermia shelters throughout the city. The shelters are run by D.C.'s Department of Human Services. Typically the shelters have set hours, but when temperatures drop this low, the warming centers stay open 24/7.
Tuesday night, DHS outreach teams went out in D.C. conducting wellness checks, handing out warming items and bringing unhoused residents in from the cold.
When the District activates a cold weather or hypothermia alert, certain services are provided to keep all D.C. residents safe, including:
- Access to emergency shelter
- Access to overnight warming sites
- Transportation to facilities (call the shelter hotline at 202-399-7093 or dial 311)
Below, you'll find a list of resources to use during severe weather.
Hypothermia/Cold Emergency Alert Night Shelters for Women
- Adams Place Day Center at 2210 Adams Place NE
- Harriet Tubman Shelter at 1900 Massachusetts Avenue SE #27
- St. Josephine Bahkita at 6010 Georgia Avenue NW
- Patricia Handy Place for Women at 1009 11th Street NW
- Community for Creative Non-violence (CCNV) at 425 2nd Street NW
- Harbor Lights (Salvation Army) at 2100 New York Avenue NE
- Naylor Road at 2601 Naylor Road SE
- Eve’s Place at 2210B Adams Place NE
- Faith United Church of Christ at 4900 10th Street NE
- Bradley & Associates at 1809 Rhode Island Avenue NE
Hypothermia/Cold Emergency Alert Night Shelters for Men
- Church of Epiphany at 1317 G Street NW
- Salvation Army at 3335 Sherman Avenue NW
- Community for Creative Non-violence (CCNV) at 425 2nd Street NW
- 801 East Shelter at 2722 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE
- Adams Place Shelter at 2210 Adams Place NE
- New York Avenue Shelter at 1355-57 New York Avenue NE
- KBEC at 4100 South Capitol Street SE
- Naylor Road 2603 Naylor Road SE
- Emery at 1725 Lincoln Road NE
- Blair House at 635 I Street NE
Shelter for LGBTQ+
- Living Life Alternative at 400 50th Street SE
Youth hypothermia sites (18-24)
- Safe Haven at 4900 Quarles Street SE
- SHINE (LGBTQ+) at 4904 Quarles Street NE
- The Sanctuary at 511 Mellon Street SE
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article included a few shelters that are no longer providing these services. The list above has been updated.