Warming centers are heated public facilities where you and your family can go for relief during periods of extreme cold. Sonoma County works closely with local homeless providers to ensure needs are being met and helps augment with additional resources as needed during freeze alerts. Where noted, these facilities and spaces are in addition to year-round shelters. The additional beds and spaces help protect people from the year’s harshest weather. Spaces may be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and may offer wraparound services as well.
Extreme Temperature Response
When the below conditions are met, warming centers may be opened at these locations. Whenever possible, please go to the sponsoring agency’s website or call the phone numbers below BEFORE arriving to verify the warming center is open and to learn what the enrollment process is.
These warming centers may be open when the below conditions are met:
- Guerneville: The Guerneville Veterans Building, 16390 Main St., Guerneville. Operated by West County Community Services. Contact the center to secure a spot BEFORE arriving by calling (707) 823-1640 ext. 115, or emailing seamus.mcchesney@westcountyservices.org.
- Healdsburg: L & M Village, 70 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, Operated by City of Healdsburg and Reach for Home. (This facility will be limited to unhoused residents from Cloverdale, Windsor, Healdsburg, and unincorporated areas situated between these towns.) For details, call (707) 433-6161.
- Petaluma: The Mary Isaak Center, 900 Hopper St., Petaluma. Operated by City of Petaluma and COTS. For details, call (707) 765-6530.
- Santa Rosa: The Caritas Drop-In Center, 301 6th St., Santa Rosa. Operated by City of Santa Rosa and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. To learn more, visit the City of Santa Rosa.
- Sebastopol: Sebastopol Community Cultural Center Teen Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol. Operated by City of Sebastopol.
- Sonoma: The Haven, 151 1st St., West, Sonoma. Operated by City of Sonoma. To learn more, visit: City of Sonoma’s website.
Warming centers will be activated when a single or combination of the below conditions may prompt activation of this phase:
- Forecast overnight temperatures are expected to drop below 28 degrees, and conditions are projected for a minimum of two consecutive days, or;
- Forecast overnight temperatures are expected to drop below 32 degrees, and conditions are projected for a minimum of three consecutive days, or;
- Forecast temperatures to drop below an average nighttime low of 37 degrees for two consecutive days with accompanying hazardous conditions (including, more than 1 inch of rain, predicted snowfall, flash flood watch/warning, wind chills or extreme temperature fluctuations) AND;
- National Weather Service issues a Frost Advisory and/or;
- National Weather Service issues a Freeze Watch and/or;
- Forecast overnight low temperatures are accompanied with daytime temperatures of 40 degrees or lower and/or;
- The Department of Health Services issues a Cold or Freeze Alert.
In June 2023, the Department of Emergency Management supported its Sonoma County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan with the Extreme Temperature Incidents Annex, which outlines procedures guiding a collaborative response by local governments, special districts, and allied agencies in the Sonoma County Operational Area to extreme temperature incidents.