Allegheny County announces winter shelter plans
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Allegheny County Department of Human Services has unveiled its winter shelter plans for the 2024-25 winter season.
The 2024-25 winter shelter plan will increase capacity, extend service hours, and provide other resources to help individuals stay safe during winter, according to a media release from Allegheny County.
The winter shelter plan will run from Nov. 15, 2024, to March 15, 2025, and includes 12 facilities across the county, bringing total shelter capacity to over 600 beds for single adults. Shelters will provide overnight and daytime accommodations, hot meals, warm clothing, and access to critical support services such as medical care, counseling, and case management, the press release added.
"Our goal is to ensure that no one has to spend a night out in the cold," said Erin Dalton, director of Allegheny County's Department of Human Services. "I'm so pleased that this year we will not need a Code Blue protocol for people experiencing homelessness because shelter and daytime supports will be open every day, all winter, and not just on the coldest nights of the year."
The Second Avenue Commons Engagement Center will open with expanded daytime hours starting on Oct. 29, running from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days per week, 365 days per year.
The Department of Human Services will open 105 additional beds across its shelter network on Nov. 15. These shelter locations include the Salvation Army Women's Overflow Shelter (20 beds); Second Avenue Commons Overflow Shelter (40 additional beds); the EECM Winter Overflow Shelter (20 additional beds); and the Light of Life Winter Overflow Shelter (25 additional beds).
Additionally, a new winter shelter in partnership with the Northside Partnership Project and Community Family Advocates is slated to open by Dec. 11 at the Community Resource Mall on Maple Avenue. This shelter could open earlier if other shelters are at capacity.