Updated 11:35 am, Feb. 14, 2024
Based on the official National Weather Service forecast calling for up to 3 inches of snow overnight, severe weather shelters will open at 8 pm Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Multnomah County employees and service provider partners will open four inclement weather shelters and add a limited number of inclement weather shelters to an existing year-round shelter. An additional 480 severe weather beds will remain open until 10 am Thursday, Feb. 15. Shelters will remain open as conditions warrant.
The five sites available on Thursday, Feb. 14, is:
- Cook Plaza, 19421 SE Stark St., Greshammanaged by Cultivate Initiatives
- Area of Division, 323 SE Division Place, Portlandadministered by Multnomah County
- Imago Dei Church, 1302 SE Ankeny St., Portlandmanaged by Do Good Multnomah
- Powell Shelter, 7332 SE Powell Blvd., Portlandmanaged by Transition Projects
- Market Street Shelter, 120 SE Market St., Portlandmanaged by All Good Northwest (expansion site with limited additional capacity; call 2-1-1 first)
This interactive map will be updated during the emergency to show areas that will warm up in the sun, including Multnomah County Library branches.
Warming Shelter Flyer – Feb. 14, 2024 (English)
Warming Shelter Flyer – Feb. 14, 2024 (Spanish)
The County is asking community members to consider signing up to volunteer at a severe weather shelter. Anyone who is able and can travel safely to a shelter site is asked to volunteer for a shelter shift. Find all available shift opportunities and sign up online to support these life-saving resources. First-time volunteers are encouraged to attend a virtual “Just In Time” training from 12:30-2:30 pm Wednesday, Feb. 14. Please sign up using this form to attend training.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services will also distribute cold weather gear to providers, volunteers and mutual aid groups at this event as part of a coordinated outreach strategy spanning Multnomah County
No one seeking shelter will be turned away. All sites are pet-friendly and accessible to people with disabling conditions. Free transportation to warming shelters is available by calling 2-1-1 or through TriMet.
Anyone looking for a place to stay should contact 211info. 211info staff are available to identify shelters, warming centers, and review transportation options 24/7 for Multnomah County.
If you are concerned about someone you see in colder conditions, such as someone not wearing safe clothing for the weather conditions, call the non-emergency response line at 503-823-3333 and ask a welfare check.
If a person’s life appears to be in danger, call 9-1-1 for medical attention.
Support people living outside
In addition to inclement weather beds that only open when certain weather thresholds are met, the Joint Office of Homeless Services also funds and supports more than 2,000 year-round and winter shelter beds that are open nightly during cold weather. These beds are open every day, regardless of the forecast. Other community partners are also adding winter shelter capacity.
Outreach teams — including those from Transition Projects, JOIN, Janus Youth, Cascadia Behavioral Health and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office HOPE team — are also in the community, reaching out to vulnerable populations, providing resources and shares information about inclement weather and year-round shelters.
The Joint Office has accelerated the distribution of cold weather supplies since the end of October.
Many organizations that provide assistance to people experiencing homelessness also work with community volunteers to offer their services. Find a list of agencies which welcomes volunteers and seeks links to their opportunities to help.
211info also has a winter-oriented donations site.
Serious Time Planning
County staff monitor weather conditions and other factors, including changes in temperature, precipitation, windchill and emergency department visits for hypothermia. Officials meet daily to discuss weather conditions — consult with Emergency Management, Department of Health, County Human Services and Joint Office experts and then jointly decide on shelter plans if needed.
The basic thresholds used by the County were first developed and used by the City of Portland, prior to the creation of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, when the City served as the lead agency providing severe weather for adults who experiencing homelessness.
Bad weather is open as needed if any of the following thresholds are met for any of the conditions below expected to continue for four (4) hours or more between the hours of 8 pm and 7 am
- Estimated temperature of 25° F (-4° C) or lower.
- Estimated snow accumulation of 1.0 inches or more.
- Temperatures are forecast at or below 32° F (0° C) with heavy rain of 1.0 inches or more overnight.
- **The County Chief Operating Officer or their designee may consider other conditions or circumstances during a severe weather event that may increase risk to the community and activate elements included in the standard operating procedure this.
Cold weather alerts
Even if severe weather thresholds are not reached — but when overnight temperatures are forecast to be 32 degrees or below, for about four hours or longer — the Joint Office will issue a ” cold weather.”
No severe weather beds will open during a cold weather alert. But providers will conduct additional and focused outreach to find vulnerable people, and they will have the ability to quickly obtain and distribute cold weather supplies. Providers will strengthen coordination around information on shelter system resources and capacity. Overflow shelter capacity will be available to outreach workers, who can refer people in need.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services also funds and supports more than 2,000 shelter beds that are open nightly during cold weather. These beds are open every day, regardless of the forecast. Other community partners are also adding winter shelter capacity.
