309 Market St. in Harrisburg will serve as a warming shelter this weekend.
As temperatures plummet this holiday weekend, local groups are ensuring Harrisburg’s unhoused residents stay warm.
On Friday, Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area (CCU) and the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness announced a temporary warming shelter, among other resources for those in need.
The warming shelter will operate on Dec. 24 and 25 at 309 Market St., the former Rite Aid location downtown. The day shelter will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is open to anyone needing to get out of the cold.
According to Darrel Reinford, executive director of CCU, a lack of housing and increased rent prices have exacerbated the issue of homelessness this year and last.
At the beginning of the month, Harrisburg overnight shelters opened for the winter season. Downtown Daily Bread operates a men’s overnight shelter at 234 South St., with check-in beginning at 7 p.m. CCU hosts a men’s shelter at 1805 N. 12th St., with check-in starting at 7:30 p.m. and a women and non-binary persons shelter at Grace United Methodist Church, 216 State St. The women’s shelter will offer check-in from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 3 to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Additional resources available during the weekend include:
Saturday, Dec. 24
- 7:15-8:15 a.m., sit down breakfast at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 212 State St.
- 8-11 a.m., warming center at Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. 2nd St.
- 4:30 p.m., takeout meal at Bethesda Mission, 611 Reily St.
Sunday, Dec. 25
- 8-10:30 a.m., sit down breakfast/warming center at Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. 2nd St.
- 1:30-4:30 p.m., warming center for women/non-binary individuals and children at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral, 221 N. Front St.
- 4:30 p.m., sit-down Christmas meal at Bethesda Mission, 611 Reily St.
- 5-6 p.m., sit down dinner at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 212 State St.
For more information on Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area, visit their website.
To learn more about the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness, visit their website.
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