TWIN FALLS, Idaho — It’s the first of its kind in Twin Falls, a short-term warming center offering respite from the cold winter temperatures.
Homelessness is not as visible as it is in some other areas of the country, but numerous people in the Magic Valley are unhoused at the outset of winter.
Now, a new warming center, located at 601 Shoshone St., is offering a place to stay warm and safe overnight when the temperature drops below 29 degrees.
“It’s not visible as much as you see in other communities, but it’s there," Wastradowski told Idaho News 6. "There’s a lot of people that are living in their vehicles right now, a lot of people that are facing homelessness for the first time because rent has gone up and they cannot afford it.”
Any night between now and the end of February, people experiencing a lack of shelter will be able to stop in on a short-term basis at the new warming center.
Wastradowski said that this is the first drop-in style service of its kind in the area.
“We realized that there’s really no emergency shelter in our region,” Wastradowski said. “There’s Valley House, there’s Voices Against Violence, some domestic violence shelters and things like that, but nothing where that if I’m homeless, I need a place to stay tonight [or] tomorrow while I figure things out, there really wasn’t any place like that.”
The warming center will depend on volunteers to keep the doors open.
At a recent meeting to prepare for the start of the season, two dozen people met to hear about how they could help.
Linda Fleming is involved in housing solutions in the Magic Valley through her work at Habitat for Humanity. After the volunteer meeting, Fleming said the warming shelter had been on the community's radar for a long time.
“The .. warming shelter itself has been in this community’s orbit for really a long time, and to have it really become a reality in such a great time of need in our community is amazing,” Fleming told Idaho News 6.
The warming center will depend on volunteers to keep the doors open.
At a recent meeting to prepare for the start of the season, two dozen people met to hear about how they could help.
There is always a need for volunteers, as well as for donations of supplies and funding.
The Warming Center’s Facebook page is where you can find a list of supplies requested for donation. For more information, contact 208-358-3516 or by email to tfwarmingcenter@gmail.com
