Cold Weather Emergency Shelter to open on nights below 32 starting November 15

Starting Thursday, November 15 the City and Borough of Juneau’s cold weather emergency shelter will open on nights below 32 degrees from 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the following morning. The facility, located inside the former public safety building on Whittier Street, will serve as an additional shelter opportunity for up to 28 people experiencing homelessness.

The Assembly approved $75,000 to fund shelter operations. CBJ has partnered with AWARE, Glory Hall, and St. Vincent DePaul to provide two staff people on site at all times the shelter is open. Last winter the shelter was open for 70 nights and served 158 individuals for a total of 715 bed nights.

To determine what nights the shelter is open, CBJ staff will work with the National Weather Service in Juneau. Notification will include signs at the shelter site, the Glory Hall, and at St. Vincent DePaul and will be posted on the CBJ Housing Program website, CBJ’s Facebook page, Twitter and shared through word of mouth by service providers and emergency services personnel that work with persons experiencing homelessness.

The CBJ cold weather shelter will be a sleeping only facility. Community members interested in assisting the homeless or in providing food, clothing, or donations are encouraged to support the agencies that offer these services year-round.  A list of these agencies can be found on the Juneau Coalition on Housing and Homelessness website.

If you or someone you know is interested in working or volunteering at the cold weather emergency shelter, please contact either St. Vincent DePaul at [email protected], Glory Hole at [email protected] or AWARE at [email protected].

For more information, contact CBJ Chief Housing Office Scott Ciambor at 586-0220 or [email protected]