HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Extreme Weather Event Shelter will be open at the Salvation Army Shelter in Hopkinsville tonight.
The emergency shelter will open at 7 p.m. at 313 East Seventh St. The EWES is opening due to temperatures dropping below 20 degrees, with wind chill factored in.
Alisa Barton, the Director of Social Services with the Salvation Army in Hopkinsville, says that although this is the earliest in the year they have ever had to open up due to cold, they are prepared.
To accommodate extra people, the EWES is open inside the soup kitchen. Fifteen addition beds will be set up and available for anyone needing to escape the cold. Most of their usual requirements for staying at the shelter do not apply, and no identification is required. Barton says, “There is a very low barrier … it’s just a warm place to come in and have coffee and snacks.”
Barton also wants to remind the community that they are in need of EWES sponsorships. $200 donations can cover the cost of staff and supplies required to open in these emergency situations. For updates about the statues of the emergency shelter, find the Salvation Army on Facebook.