photo by: Google Maps

The location of United Community of Christ, 1900 University Drive, is shown on Google Maps.

The City of Lawrence is opening another winter emergency shelter near the University of Kansas campus, in partnership with the Red Cross.

Homeless Programs Coordinator Misty Bosch-Hastings told the Journal-World Tuesday afternoon that the overnight shelter at University Community of Christ, 1900 University Drive, will open at 6 p.m. this evening. The shelter will have space for another 25 individuals to stay overnight and referrals won’t be required. Bosch-Hastings said the shelter will remain open for overnight stays through the duration of the freezing temperatures forecasted in Lawrence this week.

Bosch-Hastings told the Journal-World that the city is in desperate need of overnight volunteers, who can sign up for five-hour shifts through the United Way website.

The additional winter emergency shelter is being implemented amid a days-long streak of bitter cold temperatures that have already required the activation of multiple other emergency sheltering operations in addition to the Lawrence Community Shelter at 3655 E. 25th St. The city has kept the Santa Fe train depot at Seventh and New Jersey streets open as a 24-hour shelter since late last week, operating as an overflow space to help people once LCS had reached its maximum capacity of 140.

Along with the Amtrak station, First United Methodist Church at 946 Vermont St. also opened a volunteer-run winter emergency shelter late last week accepting referrals from LCS, which will continue to operate through Saturday. Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is also working to provide sheltering assistance to individuals with severe or persistent mental illness who can’t shelter at LCS, putting them up in hotel rooms instead.

Bosch-Hastings also provided the average head count at each existing sheltering location, and they’re all operating near or even above their capacities. LCS, for example, has hosted 150 individuals on average, but Bosch-Hastings said it’s likely that number — already 10 above the shelter’s maximum capacity –has been exceeded. First United Methodist’s shelter has also hosted at its maximum 25-person capacity. The Amtrak station has room for 40 individuals and has hosted 35 on average.