Burlington will open extreme cold weather shelter January 23-27

Read the full article at vermontbiz.com. Below is an excerpt.

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has announced that the City will open an extreme cold weather shelter in partnership with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) at the Miller Center at 130 Gosse Court in response to the dangerously cold weather forecasted this week. After reviewing weather modeling in consultation with the City’s Emergency Management Director, officials have determined the forecasted temperatures the evenings of Friday, January 23, Saturday, January 24, Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26 meets the City’s criteria for operation of an extreme cold weather shelter.

Hours of operation will be from 5pm on Friday, January 23 until 8am on Saturday, January 24; from 5pm on Saturday, January 24 until 8am on Sunday, January 25; from 5pm on Sunday, January 25 until 8am on Monday, January 26; and from 5pm on Monday, January 26 until 8am on Tuesday, January 27. The National Weather Service is currently forecasting evening temperatures diving well-below zero with windchill on the evenings and into the early morning hours on these dates.

Transportation will be provided to the Miller Center, beginning at 4:30pm and 5pm on each date of activation, from 228 North Winooski Avenue (CVOEO Community Resource Center), 95 North Avenue (Cots Daystation) and the Fletcher Free Library. The emergency cold weather shelter will be low barrier, and pets are allowed.

The State of Vermont defines an extreme cold weather emergency using a threshold of –10 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill factor. The City and CVOEO are acting to open additional shelter based on a number of factors, including current estimates of over 200 people sleeping unsheltered in the region, with many rough sleeping; lack of seasonal shelter capacity; and the State motel program being at capacity.

The City and CVOEO are working in partnership to ensure safe operation of this emergency shelter, and we are appreciative for the funding support of the Vermont Agency of Human Services and Vermont Interfaith Action.

Please share the attached flyer with shelter details, updated to include operation on Thursday evening. Please reach out to Sarah Russell, Emergency Services Director at CVOEO at 802-829-5679 or srussell@cvoeo.org with any questions.?