The City of Dallas is opening the J. Erik Johnson Central Library to serve as a temporary emergency overnight shelter as the region braces for another night of bitterly cold temperatures.
The activation of 250 shelter beds is the next step in what the city anticipates will require opening even more beds at Fair Park.
Friday afternoon may have brought sunnier skies but you cannot warm up with daytime temps in the middle twenties, especially for those living unsheltered.
Ali Hendricksen is the development manager at Our Calling, one of a series of nonprofits in Dallas working to make sure those living outside are inside over the next three nights.
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Night one of this extreme cold filled every one of the 360 overflow beds at the old Austin Street Center on Thursday night.
“After only about 10 hours we hit our capacity at that inclement weather shelter,” Hendricksen said.
The city of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions says 477 people had a warm place to stay across Austin Street Shelter, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church and Warren United Methodist Church but demand is peaking.
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Opening the downtown central library as an overnight shelter, already operating as a daytime warming center, will help meet an anticipated need during the second night of this current cold snap.
On Friday, Christine Crossley director of the Office of Homeless Solutions says more winter precipitation than anticipated fueled the quick ramp-up in demand for shelter space.
“We had an unprecedented number of people coming into the shelter on the first night,” Crossley said. “Due to the predicted longevity of this weather and the number of people we have already seen, we have made the decision to start working with Fair Park First to open up that facility starting tomorrow.”
Crossley added activating Fair Park will allow the city to coordinate multiple inclement emergency weather shelters into one location for the duration of the cold weather event.
Hendricksen said Our Calling, along with other partners will continue to canvas North Texas seeking out those who are living outside and getting them inside over the next three nights.
