CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — In response to extreme cold weather forecasted for next week, Mecklenburg County officials are activating extreme weather protocols, which involves expanding shelter access.
The change begins the evening of Sunday, Jan. 19, through Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office (CMEMO), Roof Above, the Salvation Army Center of Hope, Hearts for the Invisible, and Block Love Charlotte are working together to support the needs of people experiencing homelessness during this extreme weather event. The partners will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the period.
Here are the services they are offering:
Roof Above’s Day Services Center, 945 N. College St.
- Will operate under normal hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. throughout this event.
Block Love Charlotte’s Day Services Center, 2738 N. Graham St.
- Will also operate daily from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. to accommodate people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Hearts for the Invisible Charlotte
- Will deploy street outreach teams to homeless encampments to encourage anyone living unsheltered to visit a shelter and to provide information on how to access shelter. Individuals declining shelter will be provided blankets, if needed.
Mecklenburg County and the shelters will be closely monitoring shelter utilization.
For men:
Roof Above provides shelter for men and expanded capacity at their shelter locations. To access shelter, men may visit Roof Above at either 1210 N. Tryon St. or 3410 Statesville Ave. beginning at 4:30 p.m.
For women and families:
The Salvation Army provides shelter for women and families and expanded capacity at their shelter location. To access shelter, women and families may visit the shelter at 534 Spratt Street between 4:30-7 p.m.
Transportation:
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) buses will transport individuals to these shelter locations free of charge from Sunday through Wednesday. Riders must simply identify a designated shelter location to the driver.
