ATHENS, Ohio — Local nonprofits The Gathering Place and United Campus Ministry are partnering this winter to establish an emergency warming center for unhoused people to stay safe during extreme temperatures.
UCM will host the emergency warming center at its building at 18 N. College Street, where guests may stay overnight for free and receive dinner and breakfast. Limited space for pets held in crates is also available.
The center was open for the first time this season Dec. 13 and 14.
Last winter, the warming center was held at the former Athens Fire Department building on Columbus Road. The city is currently renting out that location, so The Gathering Place turned to UCM.
Last year’s warming center grew out of a conversation in the Athens County Foundation’s Project Co-Create group, said UCM Executive Director Ari Faber.
“The Gathering Place took lead on that and did a phenomenal job with it,” Faber told the Independent.
Conversations about a warming center “started … a bit earlier” this year, Faber said, since it was possible that the old fire station would be unavailable. When that turned out to be the case, “I immediately was thinking UCM would be a good place to have this,” Faber said.
UCM is providing the space; The Gathering Place is organizing the staff and volunteers, they said.
Location isn’t the only change in this year’s program. One of the most significant changes is the establishment of a “code blue” — for periods when the temperature drops below 15 degrees for 12 to 24 hours — in partnership between the warming center, the City of Athens and the Athens County Health Department.
“Those agencies approached us asking if we had any policies similar to the Department of Homelessness’s ‘code blue’, and we didn’t, so we took a look at policies from partners around the state to see what they had,” Athens County Health Department Administrator Jack Pepper told the Independent.
“We’re calling it an ‘extreme cold weather warning policy,’” Pepper said. “Really, it’s simple: during winter months we evaluate forecasts, and if weather calls for 15 or below that particular evening, we issue a standard warning via social media.”
The Gathering Place and UCM will announce openings of the warming center a day ahead of extreme cold weather; announcements will be posted on the agencies’ social media platforms. Although organizers ask that guests check in between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Faber said those arriving later will still be allowed entry.
Another change involves the types of food that will be available to guests. Food will be made primarily by individual volunteers and local faith groups, according to Faber.
“I think everybody that utilized the warming center last year did eat meat, and didn’t have dietary restrictions. So this year we’ve just decided to ask [volunteers and groups] for soup and bread,” Faber said. “At UCM, we always have frozen vegan soups and stuff that is gluten free as well.”
To cut down on laundry costs, guests will be given sleeping bags to use instead of blankets.
Schmalenberg described the environment of the warming center as “like a big slumber party. It really is, like having a meal, playing games, we can show movies there, and having treats, you know.”
Faber told the Independent that UCM’s estimated capacity is around 20 to 25 guests, but that they don’t expect to see that many people at once.
“Last year I don’t think we really went over 15 people in one given night,” Faber said. “If it started happening, we could move things around a little bit in order to set up more cots in the lounge.”
Last winter The Gathering Place’s warming center at the fire department assisted 35 individuals, said the organization’s executive director, Ginger Schmalenberg.
Funds for the warming center come from several sources, including the City of Athens, the Athens County Foundation, The Gathering Place’s The Community Cares Fund, and individual donors to UCM, Faber said.
“Some of the fundraising we’ve been doing is going toward The Gathering Place being able to hire peer recovery support professionals who will be able to do especially the 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. shift,” Faber said. “Last year, we had a lot of trouble getting those shifts covered.”
City of Athens Service-Safety Director Andrew Stone said the city has allocated $5,000 to the warming center this season, with $1,500 disbursed for the remainder of 2025, and the rest would be paid out through 2026 “if necessary,” for hours the warming center is open.
The warming center offers guests more than a place to get out of the cold, Schmalenberg said — it also connects them with social services.
“Some people we met from the EWC last year are now housed,” she said. “They’re in great services. They’re members of The Gathering Place, they’re highly engaged, they might be serving on our board. They’re getting education — some have gone back to school.”
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