The Ramsey County recently received a $1.4 million state grant for its winter warming centers.
The grant was from the Department of Human Services and awarded to the county’s Housing Stability Department.
The county first provided warming centers during the 2022 to 2023 winter to provide shelter, resources and referrals for the homeless. Five warming centers operated during that initial pilot season, serving almost 11,000 people.
Ramsey County managed and operated the warming centers during their first year and sought providers for them for the 2023 to 2024 winter. However, the county did not receive enough responses and also managed the centers during that winter.
One of the reasons for few solicitations is the short time period of warming centers, said Housing Stability Interim Director Naly Yang, at Tuesday’s county board meeting.
In the 2024 to 2025 winter, the county worked with two churches and two city government sites to establish four warming centers. A total of 11,646 individuals were served.
The county Housing Stability Department will solicit proposals this month for community providers for the coming winter.
County officials hope to find providers for long-term contracts, Yang said. If there are not enough responses for this season, officials expect to work with a previous provider to see about expanding their services.
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