Continued cold temperatures prompts shelter preparations across Southwest Florida

National Weather Service

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WGCU

More cold temperatures expected for much of the Southwest Florida over the next few days has several counties setting up cold weather shelters.

Across Southwest Florida Wednesday night and into Thursday lows are expected to range from the high 30s around Tampa to the low 40s in Collier County.

Charlotte County

The National Weather Service forecasts cold temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday nights, Jan. 8-9.

The Charlotte CARE Center (formerly the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition), 1476 Kenesaw St., Port Charlotte, will provide shelter to persons needing refuge from the cold. Guests will need to pre-register by calling 941-627-4313 and arrive by 8 p.m.

Lee County

Lee County Government is coordinating with its partnering entities to augment its Cold Weather Outreach Plan for the week.

Lee County Emergency Management, the Lee County Department of Human & Veteran Services, Lee County Transit (LeeTran), Lee County Administration and county partners typically implement plans during timeframes in which the temperature drops below or is slightly above 40 degrees for a period of time.

Initial plans announced on Monday, Jan. 6, that started this morning will be augmented due to the temperature and forecasted duration of the cold front.

Plans include:

• Thursday, Jan. 9, and Friday, Jan. 10, in the mornings: 
  
  • LeeTran will provide warming bus stations 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at:
    
    1. Cape Coral Transfer Center, 820 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33904
    2. Edison Mall Transfer Center, 4300 Solomon Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901 (The transfer center is located at the south end of the Edison Mall parking lot)
• Thursday, Jan. 9, Human & Veteran Services and partners:
  
  • United Way Resiliency Hubs, the North Fort Myers Library, the Fort Myers Regional Library and other locations are serving as respite locations for warming and supplies.
    
    • See list below.
  • Respite hours vary by site; some are mornings only; some have afternoon hours; some are available all day.

Housing, Outreach and Treatment (HOT) teams will staff the sites to help reach out to individuals who are experiencing homelessness and to provide cold-weather supplies such as socks, jackets, sweatpants, hats, gloves, hand warmers and blankets.

Today, Jan. 8, and Thursday, Jan. 9, in the evenings: The Salvation Army will flex its capacity due to wind chill temperatures dropping below 40 degrees. Individuals who are seeking respite from the weather are encouraged to contact The Salvation Army at 239-789-1169 to check availability.

The Salvation Army of Fort Myers will be opening its Center of Hope at 2400 Edison Avenue as a temporary warming station and shelter in coordination with Lee County partner agencies.

“With cold weather settling in, The Salvation Army is working collaboratively with Lee County Emergency Management, the Lee County Department of Human & Veteran Services and other partner agencies to provide warmth and shelter to those experiencing homelessness.” said Major Ethan Frizell, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Fort Myers.

The Lee County HVS coordinated entry phone line is available to link individuals to services and resources. The number is 239-533-7996. The department’s HVS Reach app, which is available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, also will be updated. Persons experiencing homelessness can sign up to receive push alerts from the app.

Lee County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Management staff is monitoring the cold temperatures and encourages residents to monitor updates from the National Weather Service.

Cold-weather respite locations include:

• Lion’s Park, 2550 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901
• Fort Myers Regional Library, 2450 First St., Fort Myers, FL 33901
• North Fort Myers Library, 2001 N. Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers, FL 33903
• Dunbar United Way Resiliency Hub at Community Cooperative, 3429 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33916
• Tice United Way Resiliency Hub at Goodwill Industries, 5100 Tice Street, Fort Myers, FL 33905
• F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva United Way Resiliency Hub, 2304 or 2430-B Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957
• Charleston Park United Way Resiliency Hub at Charleston Park Community Center-Goodwill, 2541 Charleston Park Drive, Alva, FL 33920
• South Fort Myers United Way Resiliency Hub at Jewish Family Services, 9701 Commerce Center Court, Fort Myers, FL 33908
• Heights Center, 15570 Hagie Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33908
• East United Way Resiliency Hub – the Children's Advocacy Center of SWFL, 4040 Palm Beach Blvd., Fort Myers, Fl 33916
• LeeTran Cape Coral Transfer Center, 820 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33904
• LeeTran Edison Mall Transfer Center, 4300 Solomon Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901

Sarasota County

Sarasota County Emergency Management officials have coordinated with municipal and community partners to provide cold weather shelter for those individuals in need due to the predicted drop in temperatures. Those attending should bring their own sleeping materials.

Cold weather shelters will be offered Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the locations below:

100 Church – Wednesday
14525 Tamiami Trail, North Port
Cold weather shelter will be open at 100 Church from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. A meal will be provided.

Salvation Army – Wednesday
1400 10th St., Sarasota
Cold weather shelter will be open at the Salvation Army from 5 p.m. until 6 a.m. A meal will be provided.

• In the City of Sarasota, the Salvation Army is a 0.2-mile walk from the Breeze bus stop on Orange Avenue @ 10th St (Routes 7 and 8), or a 0.3-mile walk from the Breeze bus stop on Cocoanut Avenue @ 9th Street (Routes 2 and 99).
• In the City of North Port, Breeze Route 9 is operating on a normal schedule and serves stops on Tamiami Trail at Espanola Avenue/Almonte Terrace (a 0.1-mile walk to 100 Church). Those in the North Port service area could also use Breeze OnDemand services.
• Visit www.scgov.net/breeze for information on Breeze services. The Breeze Rider app can also be used to check bus arrival times and plan routes.

Emergency Management officials remind residents that pets should not be left outside during the cold weather. Those who need to be outside overnight or during the early morning hours are encouraged to dress in several warm layers and limit skin exposure to the wind. Sarasota County Fire Department officials advise using extreme caution when heating your home, as the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning increases during very cold weather due to the improper use of heating devices. More heating safety tips can be found here.

Manatee County

Manatee will continuing to monitor the weather for possible cold weather impacts.

The following actions have taken place by Emergency Management and our Health Services Team in the EMS Division:

• Salvation Army, Red Cross and Turning Points have been contacted to verify their availability for warming centers for our vulnerable population. 
  
  • All agencies have verified that they have both bed space and staff to accommodate those who may require sheltering during the severe weather.
  • Both Salvation Army and Turning Points have agreements with our Health Services team in the EMS Division and those agreements hold all provisions for any inclement weather and how these agencies will service our vulnerable population.
• The Salvation Army serves as the contracted cold weather shelter for the county. 
  Their plan dictates that when temperatures drop below 45 degrees, they activate their cold weather shelter plans.
• The Salvation Army has approximately 75 – 100 spaces available for women, family, and children.
  They have approximately 150 spaces available for single men.
  The Salvation Army has confirmed that they can increase capacity as needed for this cold weather event.
• Community partners who work with homeless individuals have been notified of the potential weather and will also push out our messaging as appropriate.

Collier County

Both locations of St. Matthew's House (Immokalee and Naples) have been opened, staffed, and resourced for cold-weather sheltering.

County officials will continue to monitor the situation and can adjust resources if needed.

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