City of Little Rock to Demobilize Temporary Emergency Shelter on Monday

City of Little Rock to Demobilize Temporary Emergency Shelter on Monday

LITTLE ROCK - The City of Little Rock will demobilize its temporary, cold-weather emergency shelter on Monday as the period of intense cold and heavy precipitation has subsided. Shelter residents will be provided transportation services to day centers or other locations as operations wind down beginning Monday morning.

The temporary shelter at Dunbar Community Center has been mobilized for 24 hours a day since Wednesday, Jan. 8, after first opening as a nightly shelter on Sunday, Jan. 5. The City, in cooperation with community partners, served more than 1,000 meals. This past weekend, about 130 residents were housed each night.

On Monday, community partners such as Rock Region Metro, Jericho Way, Second Baptist Church- Downtown, Central Church of Christ and The Van will assist in transporting individuals from the shelter. Case managers will be present for the demobilization to serve those who need additional assistance.

"Our priority for the past week was to offer a safe, warm and dry place to stay for anyone that needed it, and we have done so with the help of city staff and countless community partners and individuals," Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. said. "Based on the weather forecasts for the coming week and the recommendation of our Emergency Management staff, we will demobilize the shelter Monday. However, we will continue to actively monitor weather forecasts throughout the rest of the winter and will re-mobilize if the weather is determined to be dangerous to the life safety of our unsheltered populations."

The National Weather Service forecasts near-average January temperatures for the coming week. The City's Emergency Management Division makes recommendations on sheltering operations based on whether extremely cold wind chills or a combination of cold temperatures and precipitation are forecasted.

Regardless of shelter activation, several Little Rock community centers also serve as warming centers for anyone who wants to get out of the cold between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Those warming centers are at Southwest Community Center, 6401 Baseline Road; Stephens Community Center, 3720 W. 18th St.; and West Central Community Center, 8616 Colonel Glenn Road.

Dunbar Community Center will be closed on Monday for cleaning and removal of equipment and supplies.

Mayor Scott offered the City's gratitude and appreciation for Chief Homeless Officer Matthew DeSalvo, who served as shelter manager, and the Emergency Management Division, along with staff at Dunbar and the Little Rock Parks and Recreation team, Housing and Neighborhood Programs, Little Rock Police Department, Little Rock Fire Department, MEMS and other city team members who supported the sheltering operation.

Thanks and appreciation also go to all the community organizations that partnered with the City during shelter operations.