AUSTIN, Texas — With the chilly forecast this week, the city of Austin is preparing to activate its cold weather shelters starting Sunday. Shelters will remain open until Thursday.
If you or someone you know needs somewhere warm to go, registration will happen each day between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road at South First Street.
Bus routes to the center are Capital Metro lines 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105, 142 and 801. Anyone seeking a cold weather shelter who doesn’t have the means to pay the bus fare will still be given a ride, according to the city.
An after-hours service will also be available for anyone needing transportation to a shelter outside of the registration period.
The city said it shared its plans to community partners who work directly with people experiencing homelessness and texted information directly to unsheltered people who are registered with the city’s text alert system.
While the shelters are primarily used by people experiencing homelessness, they are open to anyone who needs a warm place to spend the night. Anyone looking for information about the shelters can call 512-972-5055. Guidance for shelter guests can be found on the city’s website.
The city determines when to open cold weather shelters using the National Weather Service projections for Camp Mabry. Cold weather shelters are activated if the forecast is predicted to be 35 degrees or colder overnight.
The city encourages residents to follow austintexas.gov/alerts for emergency information updated in multiple languages.