Temperatures in northern Utah have yet to fall below freezing, but it’s only a matter of time before residents are faced with dangerously cold weather.
In Davis County, people experiencing homelessness will have a new space to seek warmth and rest during the coldest nights of the upcoming winter.
This winter, the county’s warming center will occupy a portion of the Talia Event Center, located at 22 E. 200 South in Clearfield.
“We’re utilizing the north side of the building as the warming center, and then the south side will continue to be used kind of like a meeting/event space,” said Ryan Steinbeigle, Davis County’s community services manager, who also oversees the warming center program.
The move comes after a contentious winter last year, during which residents in Kaysville pushed back against the idea of having a warming center in their community. A Fruit Heights church also retracted an offer to host a temporary homeless shelter on cold nights, following community backlash.
In February, the Davis County warming center relocated temporarily to Kaysville, despite community opposition, after its Layton facility was demolished.
Steinbeigle said the Davis County Health Department closed on a deal to purchase the warming center’s new location a few months ago.
Unlike Salt Lake, Utah and other counties in the state, Davis County’s warming center only operates during a “code blue” weather event, meaning temperatures are forecasted to dip to 18 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
As mandated by state law, overnight warming centers are meant to provide warm shelter for unhoused individuals during the extreme cold between Oct. 15 and April 30.
Meeting the need
The state requires the warming center to have at least 30 beds available to accommodate citizens on code blue nights. Steinbeigle said the space inside the Talia Event Center has room for more than 30 beds, which he anticipates could come in handy.
“I think our biggest night last year, we had 20 (people) at one time, but I did have 42 unique individuals come to the warming center last year,” he said. “So I wouldn’t be surprised if we go beyond the 30 beds that were required to have.”
While the Davis County warming center is not an emergency shelter, Steinbeigle said they’ve got just about everything moved in and are ready to open in the event of a code blue weather event. Their biggest need right now is volunteers, he said.
When a code blue is in effect, volunteers are needed to help staff the center during its operational hours, from 7:30 p.m. to the next morning at 7:30 a.m. Currently, Steinbeigle says they’ve got about 265 people signed up to volunteer, but he’d like to get that number closer to 500.
“Not everybody who signs up actually ends up working a shift,” he told KSL.com. “I had about 250 people that had said they would be willing to work a shift last year, but only about 50 to 60 of those people actually worked a shift.”
Steinbeigle said they also want more volunteers on duty per shift.
“We (had) two volunteers per shift last year — this year, we’re trying to have three volunteers per shift because of the increased numbers that we’re expecting,” he said.
In a video published on the Davis County Commission’s Facebook page on Friday, Davis County mayors and community leaders also encouraged people to lend a helping hand to those in need during the winter season.
“Let’s lift up, where there’s a need,” says Syracuse Mayor Dave Maughan in the two-minute video.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up or find more information by visiting the Code Blue page on the county’s website.
Additionally, the Utah Transit Authority is offering bus passes to help people get to and from the Davis County warming center.