Story by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune
Story County orgs open the warming place for cold nights. What to know
When temperatures take a nose dive, many Ames residents have nowhere to turn.
The Warming Place, based at Ames First United Methodist Church at 516 Kellogg Ave., opened recently to offer warm shelter during dangerously cold weather.
The shelter will be open on select nights when temperatures are 10 degrees or below, with room for 20 Story County residents, regardless of their current housing situation.
The Warming Place is a collaborative effort from Story County, Ames Romero House, The Bridge Home, Salvation Army, Mary Greeley Medical Center, City of Ames, Story County Emergency Management and Ames First United Methodist. The local organizations are sharing resources and volunteers to provide the emergency shelter.
Linda Murken, Story County Supervisor and Story County Emergency Management Commission member, helped bring discussions to local organizations last January. The current group began meeting in November, turning the idea around in two months.
“We were all focused on the same goal – saving the lives of people without the resources to weather extremely cold temperatures,” Murken said. “And the advantage is that we had all the right people in the room to provide the expertise and necessary services.”
The Warming Place is a collaborative effort from Story County, Ames Romero House, The Bridge Home, Salvation Army, Mary Greeley Medical Center, City of Ames, Story County Emergency Management and Ames First United Methodist. The local organizations are sharing resources and volunteers to provide the emergency shelter.
Linda Murken, Story County Supervisor and Story County Emergency Management Commission member, helped bring discussions to local organizations last January. The current group began meeting in November, turning the idea around in two months.
“We were all focused on the same goal – saving the lives of people without the resources to weather extremely cold temperatures,” Murken said. “And the advantage is that we had all the right people in the room to provide the expertise and necessary services.”
The Warming Place offers a warm night’s sleep
The cold weather creates a tough situation for unhoused individuals, Romero House Executive Director David Thielen said. The Romero House has seen several guests who are sleeping in their cars, tents and even sleeping bags on the ground.
“I have a gentleman that’s sleeping in his truck, and he goes from parking ramp to parking ramp in town trying to find an open parking ramp where he can park and sleep in his truck,” Thielen said. “That’s why it’s so essential that we have this center open.
The Warming Place isn’t a counseling center and will focus only on providing people with a warm place to sleep, Thielen said.”We’re not going to have showers, we’re not going to have a full setup,” Thielen said. “It’s just keeping them warm, keeping them out of the cold elements so they can survive. That’s the purpose of this: To save lives.”
When will the Warming Place be open?
The shelter plan will open for any period where the following conditions are met during the daylight:
- 10 degrees (wind chill) for three or more consecutive days
- 5 degrees (wind chill) for two or more consecutive days
- 0 degrees (wind chill) for one or more days
If the weather forecast meets the criteria, the Story County Emergency Management Agency will directly notify the local agencies, including Food at First, the Bridge Home, Story County Emergency Management, Ames Romero House, law enforcement agencies and local media.