Hub City warming shelter to remain open until January 22

JACKSON, Tenn. — The City of Jackson is partnering up with multiple organizations throughout the Hub City for temporary warming shelter efforts.

The City of Jackson, along with Tennessee Homeless Solutions, First United Methodist Church, RIFA and the West Tennessee Healthcare Hope & Healing Foundation are helping individuals fight the cold due to recent winter weather advisories across the region.

“Men, women, and children are welcome to come here. The men do stay here and then we have other accommodations for the women and children anyone that does not have transportation if you can find a police officer they can escort you down here,” said Lauren Easley, program manager for Tennessee Homeless Solutions.

Easley tells us what unhoused individuals can do to help navigate living opportunities.

“With Tennessee Homeless Solutions and the West Tennessee COC, part of our outreach is to do intake so that our housing agencies can help them later on. That can be something if they’re interested in housing we can do that with them,” said Easley.

The temporary warming shelter is located at the First United Methodist Church Mission Center on 200 South Church street in Jackson.

Nonperishable food items can be dropped off at RIFA on 133 Airways Boulevard. While toiletries, t-shirts, sweat pants, socks and coats can be dropped off at First United Methodist Church Mission Center. Winter weather advisories encourage shelter initiatives to continue.

“The city has certain temperatures outside and the wind chill whenever it gets below a certain degree. Then they ask organizations like Tennessee Homeless Solutions, RIFA, and Area Relief to partner to open up the shelter,” said Easley.

The emergency management agency and the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department provide cots and blankets along with coordinated efforts with RIFA for providing dinner. The community can also donate monetary donations that will be accepted at the West Tennessee Healthcare Hope & Healing Foundation for this and future emergency response needs.

“First we’d like to thank First United Methodist for hosting this and then RIFA for supplying the food, the City of Jackson for organizing this and then West Tennessee Healthcare. All of these agencies have come together to make this possible so we’d like to thank them,” said Easley.

The warming shelter will stay open until January 22 and additional assistance will be provided by Area Relief Ministries around the clock in anticipation of the incoming weather.

For a list of resources to help you stay weather-aware in West Tennessee, click here.

For a list of more shelters across West Tennessee and safety tips for freezing temperatures, click here.

For more news in the Jackson area, click here.