Olmsted County expands warming center to allow for social distancing

With winter creeping in, the Rochester Warming Center is making adjustments to accommodate more individuals seeking shelter.

Beginning Monday, the center will expand its footprint to a vacant retail space adjacent to its current location at 200 Fourth Street Southeast.

The expansion, made possible using $350,000 in CARES funds allocated to Olmsted County, will allow the center to continue providing beds for up to 30 people a night while adhering to social distancing guidelines. (In a post-Covid world the expanded center will be able to accommodate 64 people.)

“We continue to see more guests than we can accommodate on a regular basis, so we needed more room. Especially considering the physical distance that COVID requires, we needed to be able to spread out a bit,” said RCWC Manager Cathy Hunsaker. “Additionally, this gives us the opportunity to have separate sleeping areas for women and men which we hope will encourage more women to utilize the center.” 

In addition to separate men’s and women’s sleeping areas, the expanded space now includes a consult room, a separate room for anyone who needs to isolate, and expanded laundry and restroom facilities.

Hunsaker said the warming center also plans to hire two new shelter advocates to allow for an additional staff on each shift. Due to Covid, the center is being operated exclusively by paid staff and not volunteers.

The overnight shelter — not to be confused with day center at Silver Lake — opened on November 1 and will remain open through March 2021.

For the duration of the season, Hunsaker said the center will work to ensure Covid safety precautions are in place. That includes checking the temperature of all staff and guests as they enter the building, enforcing social distancing, and requiring masks be worn in common areas.

“Additionally, the intake process is currently done one person at a time to limit the number of people in the lobby,” said Hunsaker. “On top of that, we are doing increased cleaning and a lot of handwashing.”

Donations needed

The RCWC is currently seeking donations of hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and shaving supplies), cleaning supplies (disinfectant spray, wipes, bleach, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets), and pre-packaged snack items in individual serving sizes. If you would like to donate, please contact Cathy Hunsaker to learn more about how and when donations are accepted.