Knoxville Warming Centers help save lives
By Mike Steely
Senior Writer
steelym@knoxfocus.com
The basement door on the side of the Fountain City United Methodist Church may not seem very inviting but for some people, it is the entrance to a warm night. There are five Warming Centers around Knoxville that aid the homeless and other cold people.
Keeping folks warm overnight is a coordinated service of the Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability. Erin Reed is its executive director and The Focus asked her about the service.
“This is the second winter we’ve had a centrally coordinated effort at warming centers in Knoxville and Knox County. Last winter it was lucky we had a plan in place because we had a fifty-year snow event, with dangerously cold temperatures and icy, impassable roads for a full week,” she said.
“This year there are four church-based warming centers and one overflow site: North: Fountain City United Methodist Church, 212 Hotel Road; South: Vestal United Methodist Church, 115 Ogle Avenue; East: Magnolia Ave United Methodist Church, 2700 E Magnolia Avenue; West: Cokesbury Church, 9919 Kingston Pike; and the Center City overflow site at The Salvation Army, 409 North Broadway,” Reed said.
Reed said the capacity of all the sites together is 167, “although we are seeking ways to increase that number. The sites are all open overnight any night when temperatures are forecast to drop to 25 or below.”
“Thus far we’re seeing the greatest need in the city center, and we have seen more demand than capacity on some nights, especially if it’s been below 25 for multiple nights in a row,” Reed said.
The emergency warming centers opened on December 1 and will be open through February 28.
The Office of Housing Stability is assisted by coordinating volunteer services. Volunteers are needed to deliver meals, set up cots, check people in, or stay overnight. If you would like to volunteer for this community-wide effort, please go to KnoxTNHousing.org and click “Give Help.”
During last year’s warming center effort, more than 1,000 blankets were donated by the community, and the majority of those blankets have been cleaned for reuse this year. If you would like to donate supplies, please call Knox Area Rescue Ministries at (865) 673-6540 or email Info@Karm.org.
