Warming Centers Open Jan. 24

With support from the City of Knoxville and Knox County governments, area churches and nonprofits are standing up temporary overnight warming centers that open their doors when temperatures are forecast by the National Weather Service to be 25 degrees or below.

The Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability is assisting by coordinating volunteer services. Volunteers are needed to deliver meals, set up cots, provide transportation to people who need to get to warming centers, check people in, or stay overnight.             

KARM shelter overflow site - Capacity: up to 180
Salvation Army, 409 N Broadway
Click here to volunteer

Warming Center North - Capacity: 15
Fountain City United Methodist Church, 212 Hotel Rd.
Click here to volunteer

Warming Center South - Capacity: 25
Vestal United Methodist Church, 115 Ogle Ave.
To volunteer, text AJ Jackson at 865-963-2661

Warming Center East - Capacity: 30
Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church, 2700 E. Magnolia Ave.
To volunteer, text Kecia Armstrong at 865-228-0990

Warming Center West - Capacity: 30
Cokesbury Church at 9919 Kingston Pk.
Click here to volunteer (click on Volunteer Interest button)


Warming Centers FAQ

The winter of 2024-25 is the second year for warming centers in our community.

Warming centers open on nights when temperatures are forecast to drop to 25 degrees or below. 

Five warming center sites (listed above) have an average capacity to serve 280 people per night. This is in addition to the 372-bed overnight shelter operated year round by Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM). 

This season (Dec. 2024 thru Feb. 2025), warming centers have been open 26 nights (as of Jan. 24). On their busiest night (Jan. 21) the warming centers served a total of 387 people. 

The warming centers are a community effort, including support from the City. 

The City of Knoxville and Knox County governments created the Office of Housing Stability in 2023 to coordinate efforts like the warming centers.  

The City has invested more than $300,000 in the Office of Housing Stability and supported the warming centers with: 

- A paid security guard at every warming center site, which allows them to be open overnight to provide a safe environment for everyone on site.
 
- KAT bus transportation for any rider who requests to go to a warming center after 3 p.m. each day a center will be open overnight.
 
- Extra staffing at warming centers when staffing is requested. 

The City’s Communications staff provides communications support. 

Churches and organizations collaborating on the warming centers chose the 25-degree threshold based on their capacity to stand-up and operate temporary shelters. 

Historic temperature data from the National Weather Service showed they could expect nighttime lows during December, January and February to be 25° or lower for approximately three weeks. They determined they would be available to staff those centers for that amount of time. Alternately, setting the temperature threshold at 32° would mean closer to 6 to 8 weeks, a time period that organizations said they would not be able to operate based on staffing and volunteer capacity. 

KARM has been established as a drop-off point for donations for the warming centers, and all donations designated for the warming centers are distributed to the five citywide locations. 

Volunteers and donations are always needed. Visit https://volunteeretn.galaxydigital.com/warming-centers/ for warming center locations and contacts for volunteering and donations.