LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Due to the freezing nighttime temperatures, the Lake Family Resource Center, with help from the county of Lake, will open its first emergency overnight warming center on Tuesday night, with plans to keep it in place until early next week.
The center, which will be located in Lake Family Resource Center's facility at 15312 Lakeshore Drive, will be open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day, and is expected to follow those hours through next Monday, according to center and county officials.
It's the first time the organization has opened a warming center, according to staffer Beth Berinti.
“We're shooting from the hip,” she said, adding, “So far, so good.”
Lake Family Resource Center is opening the nighttime warming center in response to below-freezing temperatures that have visited the county over the last several day and are expected to continue into next week.
The National Weather Service has a hard freeze warning in effect for most of Lake County in elevations under the 2,000 foot mark through Wednesday morning.
Temperatures are expected to be in the teens or low 20s through that time, with nighttime temperatures forecast to increase from the low 30s on Wednesday up into the low 40s by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The center is being opened with assistance from county personnel, thanks to action taken by the Board of Supervisors during its meeting Tuesday morning.
Lake Family Resource Center Executive Director Gloria Flaherty spoke to the board about the warming center plan during public input.
“As you can imagine, the last week or so has been very challenging, very difficult for folks,” said Flaherty.
She said in the last homeless count in the county this past January, about 190 homeless individuals were found, including children, veterans and the elderly.
“About 100 of those are in Clearlake,” she said.
While Lake County Behavioral Health has a facility in Clearlake where people can get respite during the day, “There is no place at night,” Flaherty said, with efforts to get federal funding for a night shelter unsuccessful so far.
She said she wanted to open a warming center at her agency's Clearlake office, but needed volunteer staffing assistance and as much as $1,000 to cover additional utility costs and food.
It will be open as long as temperatures remain below 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night, she said.
Flaherty said it's an emergency response and only a temporary center to avoid having people dying of hypothermia out in the fields at night.
The board quickly turned the request into an extra agenda item, concerned that the weather situation presented an emergency.
Social Services Director Carol Huchingson said she could ask her staff to volunteer, and the board agreed to allow that volunteer time to be counted as staffers' regular work shifts.
Flaherty said Lake Family Resource Center is working with the faith community on a longer-term solution.
The board also scheduled a discussion about the warming center for next week's meeting, at which time they will consider taking additional action as needed.
“We'll probably have a more formal proposal at that time,” said Flaherty.
Huchingson told Lake County News on Tuesday afternoon that the effort to put volunteers together to help at the shelter was “just starting to take shape.”
Her staff includes a number of trained disaster volunteers, who were the first ones to be asked to volunteer at the warming center.
So far, the response has been swift, and Huchingson said a number of her employees have agreed to help.
“I'm fortunate to have a great group of caring people who want to help,” she said.
The warming center isn't just a first for Lake Family Resource Center, it's also a first for county personnel, said Huchingson. “We've done a disaster shelter before but we haven't done one for this reason.”
While this is technically not a sleeping shelter, visitors can stay all night, said Berinti.
“We won't have a lot of beds but we're trying to get some cots,” along with some sleeping bags and blankets, she said.
Pets are OK to bring as long as they are behaved and under control, according to center officials.
Flaherty said that volunteers are needed for shifts at the warming center, with help also needed for food transport and to offer outreach and supplies to homeless in other parts of the county.
Donations of hot food and drinks, water, and items like blankets and sleeping bags also are needed. “It's whatever the community can give to help these people stay warm during the night,” said Berinti.
She said Flaherty is contacting local restaurants about providing hot soup for those who use the center overnight.
For more information, including how to donate food and other items to the shelter, or to volunteer for a shift, contact Berinti at 707-279-0563.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.