Emergency Shelter to be Open through Friday

LITTLE ROCK - The City of Little Rock's cold weather emergency shelter will be available each night this week until Friday, as Little Rock prepares for the likelihood of a winter storm starting Thursday.

The emergency shelter at Dunbar Community Center will be open nightly this evening, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and it will remain open until 9 a.m. each morning. Dunbar Community Center is at 1001 W. 16th St.

Depending on the severity of expected snowfall Thursday and Friday, the City may activate the emergency shelter as a 24-hour operation.

The shelter is open to any resident in need of a warm, safe place to stay overnight or anyone who may want a hot meal. Shelter operations are guided by a cold-weather shelter operations plan and managed by the City's chief homeless officer.

"Over the last two nights, Little Rock residents have sought refuge from the cold in the City's emergency shelter, and we are extremely grateful for the resources and services provided to them by our City team and community partners," Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. said. "With cold temperatures continuing and precipitation expected later this week, keeping this shelter open and accessible to all is critical to the life safety of our unsheltered residents."

Transportation to and from the City's shelter is being coordinated by Little Rock-based nonprofit The Van. To request transportation, call (501) 955-3444.

During daytime hours, residents seeking shelter may go to one of the City's community centers, which will serve as warming centers between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Little Rock's warming centers include Dunbar; West Central Community Center, 8616 Colonel Glenn Road; Stephens Community Center, 3720 W. 18th St.; and Southwest Community Center, 6401 Baseline Road.

The gymnasium at Dunbar will be closed to other activities for the remainder of the week.