SAN ANTONIO — In efforts to reach people in every corner of Bexar County as frigid temperatures approach, emergency officials are organizing warming centers.
On Wednesday, six such centers opened their doors at 7 p.m. to serve the unincorporated areas of Bexar County. Within San Antonio city limits, four locations will open for 24 hours, beginning Thursday at noon.
These centers are different from warming shelters, where cots and food are provided. The warming centers serve as a more temporary aid from the cold.
"The warming centers are basically located one in each precinct," said Tom Peine, assistant public information officer for Bexar County. "They're really just there for somebody who, for whatever reason, needs to warm up and not be out in the elements."
The venues range in size from a larger conference center fitting up to 150 people in Leon Valley to a small classroom inside Bexar County Emergency Services District 8, with enough room for a few dozen.
"We're not driven by how many people show up in a certain warming center or not," Peine said. "This is just something we do as a service to our citizens."
The warming centers provide water and a place to plug in.
"We don't want to oversell what this is going to be. It is realistically a center for people to come to if they need to get warm because they're unable to," said Eric Burnside, assistant fire chief for the City of Leon Valley.
It's an added resource providing more of a short-term solution, should disaster strike during the coldest parts of winter.
"(If) somebody has a power outage and their outage is prolonged because of a downed power line or some other circumstance that's out of their control, this is a place for them to come to so they won't have to rent a hotel for half a day," said Burnside.
The Bexar County warming centers will remain open through Saturday at noon, unless weather permits closing sooner. Only service animals are allowed.
In Leon Valley, fire officials tell us the Conference Center opened doors an hour earlier because someone already needed shelter from the cold.
Burnside says they're also bringing over their fire department's "Blessing Box" to the center, filled with food donations for those who are hungry. They welcome anyone to drop off donations, too.
Anyone needing a ride to a warming center can call 3-1-1 to request transportation assistance. People traveling to or from a warming center using bus service, VIA Link or VIAtrans can travel free of charge starting Wednesday and for as long as the centers remain open.
Bexar County Warming Centers:
- ESD 2 – 2096 Talley Rd, San Antonio, TX 78251
- ESD 3 – 23103 Bulverde Rd, San Antonio, TX 78260
- ESD 8 – 20825 Babcock Rd, San Antonio, TX 78255
- China Grove Fire Department – 2456 FM 1516 S, China Grove, TX 78263
- Leon Valley Conference Center – 6427 Evers Rd, San Antonio, TX 78238
- Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office – 9810 Southton Road, San Antonio, TX 78223
City of San Antonio Warming Centers:
(Pets are welcome. Residents in need of transportation assistance may contact 311)
- Garza Community Center – 1450 Mira Vista, 78228
- Harlandale Community Center – 7227 Briar place, 78221
- Hamilton Community Center – 10700 Nacogdoches Road, 78217
- Denver Heights Community Center – 300 Porter Street, 78210
The City of San Antonio's Homeless Connections Hotline will be open through 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday to help connect people to resources and assistance through the cold weather. The Homeless Connections Hotline number is 210-207-1799.