The Lloyd Center mall will serve as an overnight warming shelter Friday with demand for refuge continuing to grow amid brutal temperatures.
Multnomah County officials announced that the Northeast Portland mall would be used as an overnight shelter after severe weather shelters hit 96% capacity Thursday night and forecasters predicted the cruel temperatures to persist.
It is one of seven severe weather shelters open in Multnomah County.
Friday night could be even colder than Thursday night with temperatures expected to drop back to the low 20s and high teens. Saturday morning will start sunny and dry, but temperatures are expected to drop below freezing by the evening, forecasters said. Snow could be possible Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The Lloyd Center has been serving as a daytime warming center since county libraries, initially slated to act as warming sites, closed due the winter storm.
While Multnomah County hasn’t yet confirmed that warming shelters will be open through the weekend, they are asking for more volunteers in anticipation of keeping them open. Final decisions about weekend shelter availability will be announced Saturday morning.
The overnight shelters that will be open at least through Saturday morning are:
- Arbor Lodge, 7440 N Denver Ave., Portland
- Salvation Army, 5325 N Williams, Ave., Portland
- East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave., Portland
- Charles Jordan Community Center, 9009 N Foss Ave., Portland
- Imago Dei, 1302 SE Ankeny St., Portland
- Friendly House, 1737 NW 26th Ave., Portland
- Lloyd Center, 1196 NE Halsey St., Portland
No one who comes to a shelter will be turned away, officials said. Pets are welcome at all sites. People can ride TriMet for free to shelters, though they should expect weather delays. People can also call 211 for a ride to a warming site. More than 500 people were given rides to shelters Thursday night.
Nicole Hayden reports on homelessness for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She can be reached at nhayden@oregonian.com or on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden.