Warming shelters open in Detroit as homelessness rises

The city of Detroit has opened warming shelters for those seeking to escape the winter weather as homelessness increases for the first time since 2016.

Three shelter are available to Detroiters seeking warmth this year.

The shelters also provide hot meals, showers, sleeping accommodations, and housing assistance services.

“Winter weather creates additional challenges and risks for Detroiters, and the City of Detroit and its partners are dedicated to providing not just an escape from the cold, but also housing services that can help them in the longer term,” Terra Linzner, homelessness solutions director for the Detroit Housing & Revitalization Department, said in a statement Monday.

The shelters will be open through March 31 and are supervised to ensure the safety of residents.

The warming centers offer an additional 135 overnight shelter beds, 100 of which are for families with children.

Overall, homelessness is on the rise for the first time since 2016, when 6,643 residents stayed in Detroit’s emergency shelter system. That number dropped to 3,428 in 2021 but has reached more than 4,530 this year.

“With cold weather already here, the City of Detroit has activated warming centers and respite locations to ensure that everyone has a safe place to stay warm,” Denise Fair Razo, the city’s chief public health officer, said in a statement. “We are once again working with our community partners across all neighborhoods so Detroiters who are experiencing homelessness or loss of heat in their residence have a place close by to stay warm.”

The warming shelters are:

• Cass Community Social Services
Address: 11850 Woodrow Wilson St., Detroit
313-883-2277
Facility open for: Families and single women

• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries — Mack Warming Center
Address: 11037 Mack Ave., Detroit
Phone number: 313-331-8990
Facility open for: Families and single women

• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries - Third Street Warming Center
Address: 3535 Third Ave., Detroit
Phone number: 313-993-6703
Facility open for: Single men

More information about shelters and warming centers is available by calling 313-305-0311.

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