The City of Austin and partner agencies are ready to open Cold Weather Shelters for at least four nights beginning tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 22, because of the expected cold weather.

Because of the anticipated severity of the cold weather this weekend, the City is confirming today that shelters will be open overnight on Thursday, Dec. 22, Friday Dec. 23, Saturday Dec. 24, and Sunday Dec. 25. 

Registration for shelter will take place each evening between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at One Texas Center (OTC), 505 Barton Springs Road, which will act as a central embarkation point from which people will be transported to a Cold Weather Shelter, located offsite. 

On Thursday, in coordination with Austin Area Urban League, staff across the City will open up to three Cold Weather Shelters with the ability to expand capacity. The City has already communicated its plans to community partners who work directly with Austin’s unsheltered population, to provide embarkation information, and have also sent communication directly to unsheltered individuals who have registered to receive this type of information from the City, to keep them aware of when and how to access services. 

It remains the goal of the Cold Weather Shelter program to provide shelter to anyone seeking a warm place to sleep when temperatures are predicted to hit a certain determined threshold, and to ensure that anyone requesting shelter is accommodated and not turned away. 

How people can access a Cold Weather Shelter 

• Individuals can get information about access and activation by calling the Cold Weather Shelter Hotline - 512-305-ICEE (4233). 

• Registration for shelter takes place between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at One Texas Center (OTC), 505 Barton Springs Road. 

• CapMetro transports individuals from the OTC to a Cold Weather Shelter. 

• While Cold Weather Shelters are primarily accessed by people experiencing homelessness, they are available to anyone in need of a warm place to spend the night. 

• Guidance for Cold Weather Shelter guests is available here. 

The locations that are activated for Cold Weather Shelters will remain open during the day on Friday and Saturday. Individuals are able to remain at the shelters during the day to stay warm and safe. The City and its partners will continue to manage resources during this evolving situation. 

Since shelters are largely used by individuals experiencing homelessness, the City does not list the locations for a variety of reasons, including managing capacity limits and privacy concerns. However, the City is publicizing the location of the embarkation point, which is the OTC at 505 Barton Springs Road. 

Warming Centers – for temporary relief from the cold during day 

Prior to Cold Weather Shelters opening, community members can use regular Warming Center locations during regular hours on Thursday if needed.

Four Warming Centers are opening Friday and Saturday daytime at City facilities that would otherwise be closed for the holidays, to supplement the Cold Weather Shelters that will remain open for continuous operations.  

Typically, City facilities would be closed during the holidays. However, staffing and facility adjustments have been made to ensure cold weather resources are available for our most vulnerable populations. The warming centers, which will be open on Friday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 24, between 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., are listed here.  

Due to the holiday and expected extent of the extreme cold weather, many City staff are scheduled to provide additional support for Cold Weather Shelter operations and Warming Centers.  

Residents are encouraged to follow austintexas.gov/alerts for emergency information updated in multiple languages.