City prepared for cold weather season, emergency overflow sheltering

City prepared for cold weather season, emergency overflow sheltering

Published on November 07, 2025

As cold weather season approaches, the City of Fort Worth is sharing resources to support and protect those experiencing homelessness.

Each year from Oct. 15 through March 31, the City manages an emergency overnight overflow sheltering program for individual men and women experiencing homelessness. This program is prepared in coordination with multiple City departments, regular emergency shelter operators, public safety and emergency management, overflow shelter operator WhenWeLove, and Trinity Metro and activates when temperatures reach certain thresholds and regular emergency shelters are at capacity.

Emergency Overnight Overflow Shelter Activation

Individuals should first go to one of the regular emergency shelters:

• Union Gospel Mission, 1321 E. Lancaster Ave.

• Presbyterian Night Shelter, 2400 Cypress St.

Families should go to:

• The Salvation Army Mabee Center, 1855 E. Lancaster Ave.

The emergency overnight overflow shelter activates when:

• Temperatures are 40°F or below with wet conditions, below 35°F in dry conditions, or the wind chill is below 32°F for three or more consecutive hours; and

• Regular emergency shelters reach capacity.

If individuals arrive at regular emergency shelters and beds are full on an emergency overnight overflow shelter activation night, they will be relocated to available overflow beds at one of the available additional emergency shelter locations.

To check to see if the emergency overnight overflow shelter has been activated, call 311 and press 9.

Daytime resource: The primary daytime resource for adults experiencing homelessness is True Worth Place, 1513 E. Presidio St., which operates daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By the numbers

During the 2024-25 cold weather season, the emergency overnight overflow shelter was activated 20 nights, averaging 82 guests per night. The busiest night was Thursday, Jan. 9, when 1,236 people stayed in overnight shelters citywide, including 140 at overflow shelter locations.

Find more information about local homeless resources and services on the Homeless Strategies webpage.

Get articles like this in your inbox. Subscribe to City News.

• Community Safety