Warming centers opened in West Springfield and Holyoke due to cold temperatures

(WGGB/WSHM) - On Saturday evening, we stopped by two warming centers and learned the need for these facilities can be more common than we think.

Frigid temperatures made their way through Western Mass this weekend. Our first alert meteorologists tracked wind chills well-below zero.

In Holyoke, the city held a pop-up shelter at Providence Ministries on Hamilton Street.

Jeenie Adamczyk, the Executive Director of Providence Ministries shared some of the resources available to people when the doors opened at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“We are going to give them a hot meal, all the snacks they can eat, they get a warm shelter, change of clothing extra outfit if they need one,” said Adamczyk. “Then they are going to get a nice safe place to sleep and a nice breakfast on the morning before going back out.”

As inflation and rising costs of utilities impact many, Adamczyk expresses how they help people through different situations this winter season, “Some people have lost their jobs some people have lost their apartments, or they’ve come to expensive, and they haven’t been able to get anything that is affordable for them in the timeframe required and this is their option not everyone has a strong family unit.”

Adamczyk explained, “It’s time that a lot of people put down their preconceived notions on what homelessness looks like and has the courage to look at it through different eyes.”

The West Springfield Public library was open Friday and Saturday from 9a.m. to 5p.m. as a designated warming center. The local library will be offering books, computers, puzzles, and a Keurig in the lobby, giving visitors access to a warm beverage.

People were able to enter Holyoke’s pop-up shelter until 9:00 pm on Saturday.

For more information on the Providence Ministries and their services, CLICK HERE

Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.