City of Sonoma and County of Sonoma to open an extreme weather warming center Monday through Thursday morning

The City of Sonoma and County of Sonoma will open a temporary extreme weather warming center for three nights starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Sonoma Veterans Building in Sonoma. Based on freezing temperatures forecasted by the National Weather Service, the center will be open each night from 7:00 p.m. through 9:00 a.m. the following day.

The City and County have been monitoring the cold weather system due to arrive tonight and have been coordinating with our local homeless services providers - Sonoma Overnight Support and Homeless Action Sonoma– as well as the Center for Volunteer & Non-Profit Leadership and the Sonoma Community Center which manages Sonoma’s emergency volunteer database, to potentially open the warming center since late last week. The warming center will be primarily staffed with volunteers working 4-hour shifts.

"This is a genuine community effort, and we are grateful to SOS, HAS, CVNL, and SCC for their outreach,” says Acting City Manager Wayne Wirick. “We wouldn’t be able to open the warming center without the volunteers and staff who have signed up to take a shift.”

The warming center will provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness and those without heat. Anyone wishing to use the warming center should arrive between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and will not be readmitted if they choose to leave the center before 9:00 a.m. The warming center is temporary and not an overnight shelter, cots will not be provided.

Warming center details:

Sonoma Veterans Memorial Building - 126 1st St W. Sonoma, CA 95476
Monday, Dec 12th, 7:00 p.m. - Tuesday, Dec 13th, 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 13th, 7:00 p.m. - Wednesday, Dec. 14th, 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 14th, 7:00 p.m. - Thursday, Dec. 15th, 9:00 a.m.

Additional Information:

• Masks are required to be worn at all times.
• No television or radio will be available, but visitors may bring, charge, and use their own devices.
• Light snacks and beverages may be provided.
• Food that is ready to eat is permissible; kitchen access will not be available. 
• The City and County of Sonoma or its contractor(s) will not be responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Visitors must comply with the City’s Standards of Behavior/Code of Conduct.

The warming center may extend its hours of operation if extreme weather conditions continue.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an on-call emergency volunteer to help when an emergency or disaster impacts the Sonoma Valley are encouraged to sign up at sonomacommunitycenter.org/get- involved/emergency-volunteers/.

For more details on available winter shelters visit: SoCoemergency.org For information on preparing for extreme cold visit: SoCoEmergency.org

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Contact Information: 
Sarah Tracy, Sr Management Analyst & PIO
City of Sonoma, No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 338-3759 
stracy@sonomacity.com

Carly Cabrera, Supervising County Communication Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 565-3040