City activates emergency warming centers for homeless

With forecasters warning of plunging overnight temperatures, Spokane officials activated the city’s emergency warming centers to help the homeless escape the sub-freezing conditions expected Sunday night and Monday. The centers are scheduled to open at 8 p.m. tonight through 7 a.m. Monday. They are designed to provide the homeless with a warm place to temporarily escape the bitter cold but are not equipped for overnight lodging, Jerrie Allard, the city’s human services director, said in a prepared announcement. Overnight lows are expected to fall below 15 degrees Monday, and Tuesday’s forecast calls for a low temperature of 5 degrees in Spokane. The designated centers can be found at House of Charity, 32 W. Pacific Ave., which serves single men over the age of 18, and at Hope House, 111 W. Third Ave., which serves single women over the age of 18.