Reno warming center program for the homeless presents findings at community forums

The Good Neighbors Warming Center organizers are sharing findings from their winter pilot program at community forums held at City Hall. The program, which offered overnight shelter for women and families, was a low-cost effort to assist people experiencing homelessness in downtown Reno.

From December through March, the warming center partnered with four churches, the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE) and Hampton House to provide 25 beds nightly for women and families from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The program, operated by trained RISE staff and community volunteers, was designed to be a no-barrier shelter for populations that often struggle to access services. As of May 12, the Washoe County Shelter Census Dashboard showed the Cares Campus had just one available bed for women, and Our Place, a shelter for women and families, was at capacity.

But the Warming Center, which was modeled after the Nights Off The Streets (NOTS) program in Carson City, rotated locations among four downtown Reno churches: St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral, First United Methodist Church, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

The program served 69 guests over its three-month run and organizers believe it could be replicated in other parts of Reno and Sparks.

Get the full story by Michelle Baker on thisisreno.com