Columbus organizations open warming centers for winter

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In the freezing winter weather, no one should have to spend the night outside. That’s why organizations around central Ohio opened up their warming centers for the season.

Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus Recreation and Parks and the Community Shelter Board (CSB) are operating dozens of warming centers. Most are only open during the day, but four centers from the Community Shelter Board are open overnight for people in need.

CSB has partnered up with multiple faith-based organizations this year to keep these warming shelters open 24/7 throughout the winter. Those overnight centers are located in different areas around the city, including the South Side, Olde Towne East and the Hilltop.

Steve Skovensky, the chief program effectiveness officer with CSB, said the goal is to keep people in the neighborhoods where they are already staying. Skovensky said the overnight warming centers are mainly meant for people with pets who can’t stay in traditional shelters, and for couples who wish to stay together.

“We’ve got regular shelter, then we have these overnight warming centers because we want everybody to be safe and to get through the cold weather,” said Skovensky. “We want to prevent hypothermia, we want to prevent frostbite, we want to prevent death. We want to keep people safe.”

The Community Shelter Board asked anyone experiencing homelessness to call the Homeless Hotline at 614-274-7000, which is open 24 hours a day. You can visit their website to find more information about warming centers in central Ohio.