Warming centers open early; sudden cold, snow has people unprepared
Warming shelters open early due to sudden cold snap
Through the bitter cold, local warming centers tell FOX6 they're seeing people come in completely unprepared.
MILWAUKEE - Through the bitter cold, warming centers tell FOX6 they're seeing people come in completely unprepared.
St. Ben's Warming Center opened on Monday, Dec. 1.
The site manager there says people have already started coming in early for food.
And on top of that, the cold came early, leaving folks scrambling to get winter gear.
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Milwaukee winter warming sites open overnight through March 2026
Winter warming locations across Milwaukee are now open overnight through March, offering shelter to people experiencing homelessness during extreme cold, as colder temperatures move into southeast Wisconsin.
St. Ben's offers overnight accommodations for 50 men and 20 women.
The site manager says they're also seeing an increase in kids and families using their meal program.
Winter coats
"Number one we’re trying to provide overnight shelter because of the cold, but let’s not forget, we still need to help those who are facing food insecurity. So the meal program at the same time is also seeing increasing numbers," said Kenneth Howard, St. Ben's site manager.
FOX6 also heard from Guest House, another warming center in Milwaukee.
Warming center cots
They say that because the cold snap came early, plus the amount of snow on the ground, it's going to make this a long winter warming season.
Earlier in the day, FOX6 also spoke with Repairers of the Breach, and the warming room was full during the lunch hour.
Executive Director James West says they opened the warming room early this year because the snow makes it difficult for the unhoused to get around.
Winter boots
"It was a big rush this year, and we actually had a period that we ran out of hats and were having a hard time keeping gloves, hats and handwarmers," West said. "Everyone was still in tennis shoes. The boots…and the boots haven’t come in enormously for us yet but the snow did."
He says people are not prepared because the snow and cold came early.
A lot of them didn't even have boots or winter gear at all.
The Source: FOX6 spoke with area warming centers to produce this story.