Anaheim opening overnight cold weather shelters ahead of next storm

The county’s first cold weather shelter is set to open in Anaheim on Sunday, Feb. 4, giving some unhoused people a warm place to sleep indoors and out of the elements overnight just as more heavy rain storms are expected to drench Southern California.

The shelter will actually be spread over four churches in central and west Anaheim and will offer a combined 50 beds, according to a city news release. The OC Board of Supervisors agreed last month to give Anaheim $137,500 to work with nonprofits to make the emergency shelter beds available. The shelter program will open on Sunday with up to 15 beds available at one shelter, city officials said.

The city’s Community Care Response Team will grant access and transport people to the shelters, which are for people with Anaheim ties only. The city is not disclosing the shelter locations to discourage walkups and for privacy reasons.

The shelters were originally planned to be opened by Feb. 1.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for many cities in Orange County, including Anaheim, from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Sean Wright, the founder of Wound Walk OC, said there’s a full-court press to spread the word to unhoused people about the heavy rains expected.

“This is a mega storm on the way,” Wright said. “We are in for a long duration, so our concern for the health of individuals out there is quite high.”

Would Walk OC provides medical services for people living on the streets. Wright is concerned about people getting ailments such as hypothermia, trench foot and upper respiratory infections during the rain, he said. The nonprofit has been providing supplies for living on the streets to help people be more prepared and will be helping people during the storm, Wright said.

Anaheim officials have said its cold weather shelter will open during inclement weather such as overnight rainstorms, high winds and when temperatures are forecasted to dip below 45 degrees overnight. The program is set to run through April 15.

When open, the emergency shelter’s hours will be 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and guests will be provided with a light breakfast and connections to services.

Anaheim is the only city to partner with the county so far this winter to provide extra emergency space for unhoused people when the weather gets bad. County officials put out the call last fall to all OC cities about partnering on local city-specific shelters. In the past, the county has opened one or two regional shelters, but some host cities pushed back and officials said people had trouble getting to the locations.

Wright applauded Anaheim for being willing to step with its shelter program and to ensure that every bed at the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter in town is filled. He said those 15 beds are going to go quickly.

Doug Becht, director of the county’s Office of Care Coordination, said the county isn’t in talks with any other city for opening a cold weather shelter this season, but hopes that Anaheim can be an example for others.