Santa Rosa is lone city to open warming center ahead of predicted freezing temps, rain, possible snow

As Sonoma County readied for the incoming winter storm predicted to bring freezing temperatures, rain, wind and some snow, the region’s homeless residents were left with few new places to seek overnight refuge from the cold.

By Wednesday afternoon, Santa Rosa was the only Sonoma County city to activate its warming center, bringing the number of temporary, overnight shelters in the county to four.

Social Advocates for Youth is running a winter shelter for youth in Santa Rosa, West County Community Services is running a winter shelter in Guerneville and Homeless Action Sonoma is running a warming station in Sonoma.

A freeze warning is in effect from midnight to 9 a.m. Thursday, with lows expected in the upper-20s to lower-30s across Sonoma County’s valleys, including 28 degrees in Santa Rosa and 30 degrees in Rohnert Park, according to the National Weather Service.

Some parts of the county can also expect rain, snow and stiff winds.

Different from year-round shelters, warming centers and winter shelters are designed to help unsheltered individuals get out of extreme weather. The services and setup differs at each.

“This is a critical service,” said JennieLynn Holmes, chief executive officer for Catholic Charities, which operates Santa Rosa’s downtown drop-in warming center at its Caritas Village campus. “Especially given the projected cold and rain and wind all kind of converging.”

On Wednesday the city announced the warming center, at 301 6th St. Suite 108, would be open from Wednesday through Saturday 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., except on Saturday morning when it will be open until 9 a.m.

The center has a capacity for 90 people overnight and is designed for people to come and go throughout the night. It does not have cots for sleeping but does have charge devices and warm food and drinks, Holmes said.

“It’s kind of based on the individual need or desire,” Holmes said.

Sonoma County has deferred decisions on whether to open overnight warming sites to cities and nonprofits, said Gilbert Martinez, a county spokesperson.

At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, county staff hosted a regional call that included the county’s emergency management department and city representatives to discuss the freeze warning and any response plans, said Matt Brown, a county spokesperson.

“We went around and asked anybody if they had plans to mobilize resources,” Brown said. “That’s when we heard from Santa Rosa.”

The county does not run any of its own warming centers but will share information about resources including warming centers via its emergency information website. There is no requirement that cities and service providers notify the county about any warming centers, but most do, Martinez said.

Sonoma County’s homeless population includes nearly 2,900 residents, up 5% since 2020, according to results from 2022 point-in-time count.

Last year, Santa Rosa adopted a policy outlining when to activate its warming center. The policy requires three consecutive days of severe overnight weather including lows below 32 degrees or three nights rainfall to activate the warming center.

It has been met with some criticism from homeless advocates who say three days is too long to wait in dire conditions.

However, Holmes said Santa Rosa has “set the standard” by having a policy.

Elece Hempel, executive director of nonprofit Petaluma People Services Center, said she thinks cities and the county are doing a better job of preparing for extreme weather and disasters now than in the past.

“I started at this job 18 years ago and 18 years ago there was not even a lot of conversation around warming centers,” Hempel said.

Petaluma People Services runs Petaluma’s warming center, but as of Wednesday afternoon the city had not yet activated the center, Hempel said.

“If I had my druthers we would be opening up the shelter today,” Hempel said.

Repeated bouts of freezing weather in December strained the region’s network of homeless services and shelters as officials and volunteers scrambled to open and run overnight warming centers.

Katrina Phillips, Chair of the Commission on Human Rights, called the region’s protocols “a mess.”

“I’ve asked … can we please work together — Board of supervisors, the Commission on Human Rights, the fire department, the mayors — can we please all work together to correct these protocols?” Phillips said. “We’re just going to argue and point figures? Why don’t we just sit down together and fix it.”

On Feb. 7, the county released its five-year strategic plan to address homelessness in the region. The 95-page plan includes steps to create a more cohesive regional approach to delivering services.

Holmes said she hopes to see a regional standard for warming centers, building upon Santa Rosa’s approach.

“My hope is by next winter we can have it be standardized similar to what Santa Rosa (has),” said Holmes.

The county’s emergency management department is developing a plan to provide guidance for responding to extreme weather events like hot and cold temperatures. The Board of Supervisors is expected to consider the proposed plan later this year, said Supervisor Chris Coursey, the board chair.

Staff Writer Andrew Graham contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.