Pittsburgh shelters mobilize to provide support ahead of "code blue" temperatures
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For the first time, Allegheny County is declaring a "code blue" with the city of Pittsburgh Wednesday at 7 p.m. to help increase shelter capacity and keep more people warm this winter.
From now on, when temperatures fall below 26 degrees between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. in the county, or when Pittsburgh activates its emergency operations center in response to severe weather, the county will open Ammon Recreation Center as an extra shelter.
"Everyone is ready and prepared," said Abigail Horn, the deputy director of the Department of Human Services.
The county tracks capacity daily at 14 shelter programs, and based on current trends, they know they're going to fill up. According to county data, nearly 200 people are not currently in a shelter and need a place to stay.
Right now, there are 457 beds at these shelters. By the end of the month, the county expects to have at least 640 beds by increasing overflow at some shelters and adding 75 beds at Ammon.
They know they'll need the space at Ammon.
"People are having a much harder time exiting shelter than in the past because rents have increased and we can't move people out fast enough from shelters into homes," Horn said.
Temperatures won't be that low for long Wednesday night.
"It's actually only expected for an hour or two, but we didn't want to take the chance," Horn said.
They expect to end the code blue by Thursday morning. However, while it's in effect, Second Avenue Commons will be used as a central meeting location.
"We're simply using that location as a staging ground for buses to arrive, so we can transport people from a central downtown location to the Ammon Recreation Center," Horn said.
All DHS shelters will stay open 24 hours per day when temps remain below 26 degrees.
Outreach teams will be working to make people in need of shelter aware of code blue and the housing options.
People seeking shelter can call the Allegheny Link at at 1-866-730-2368 or visit 1 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 to meet with a Service Coordinator. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.