Three drop-in shelters are opening tonight in Wake County to help those in need avoid the cold weather. The facilities are open daily from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m.
On nights when temperatures drop lower than 35 degrees, the drop-in facilities become Winter White Flag shelters. They open two hours earlier at 5 p.m., and stay open until the temperatures rise back.
Local shelters have been overwhelmed throughout the year, said St. John’s Metropolitan Community Church Pastor Vance Haywood, the director of the shelters. One local men’s shelter has a capacity of 50 people, but, on average, it has seen about 141 people per night. The last seven days have averaged 151 people.
"We've got folks that are waiting weeks and months to get into the program-based shelters, because there's such a demand,” Haywood said. “The shelters are at capacity. So we need safe spaces for people to come into now."
Drop-in facilities like Winter White Flag shelters save lives during extreme weather because they are low-barrier-to-entry shelters, Haywood said.
“The intent is that we get people in and give them a safe space to be in,” he said. “So there's no pre-screening, no qualifications for folks to come into those shelter spaces.”
The three shelters are at separate locations for men, women and families:
- 401 W Cabarrus St. Raleigh, NC 27601 (men)
- 301 W. Jones St. Raleigh, NC 27601 (women)
- 1863 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604 (families)
The shelters are seeking volunteers to help out during and after hours of operation.
