By BETHANY BLITZ

Staff writer

Below freezing temperatures this month have put a strain on the St. Vincent de Paul Warming Center in Post Falls.

In its ninth year of providing a warm place for the homeless to sleep on frigid nights, the center has now been open for 30 consecutive evenings.

“In the past we’ve been open for eight or nine-day stretches at a time,” said Jeff Conroy, the executive director of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho. “This is the longest stretch I’ve seen.”

And it’s not about to stop.

Meteorologist Randy Mann said a cold front is moving into the area and next week temperatures are expected to dip below zero.

He said snow is expected on New Year’s Day and then temperatures will begin to drop even further.

“This is probably as close to an old-fashioned winter as we’ve had for a long time,” Mann said.

The warming center used to open when night-time temperatures dropped below 25 degrees, but St. Vincent de Paul increased it to 30 degrees.

“We don’t want people dying out there because they freeze to death,” Conroy said.

The warming center serves an average of 30 people per night, most of which are returnees. St. Vincent de Paul provides its overnight guests with sleeping pads, sleeping bags, hand and toe warmers and coats. People can also shower and get warm food and drinks.

But now the center’s resources are being stretched. Conroy said the greatest needs are coats, sleeping bags and warm food.

The warming center will be open Friday night through Monday, Jan. 2, and longer if the cold weather persists.

The center is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Transportation leaves from Father Bill’s Kitchen on the St. Vincent de Paul campus, 1317 S. First St., at 6:45 p.m. on nights the warming center is open, and brings people back the next morning.

The Post Falls Shelter is located at 202 W. Seventh St., behind the Post Falls St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.

To make a donation or volunteer, contact Warming Center Coordinator Scott Parker at 208-664-3095, ext. 306.