Council Talks Warming Station, Code Blue Alert Accommodation

By TONY SAVIO
ONEONTA

Despite the late-October wave of warm conditions and sunny skies, winter weather is on its way, putting people without homes at higher risk.

The city and town of Oneonta are reported to have the largest population of unsheltered people in the county. The unsheltered will rely on local authorities required to announce a Code Blue alert as soon as the National Weather Service predicts temperatures falling below 32F with wind chill for at least two consecutive hours.

At the October 15 Common Council meeting, council members discussed the opening of a warming station at 291 Chestnut Street on November 1 and how to provide accommodations to unhoused individuals if the temperature falls below freezing—known as a “Code Blue” alert—in October.

When possible, the decision to declare a Code Blue alert will be made by 5 p.m. each day, according to the Otsego County Department of Social Services. The Code Blue will remain in effect until the temperature rises above 32˚F with wind chill, but at least until 7 a.m. the next morning.

The Catholic Charities Warming Station will operate during inclement weather, warranting Code Blue from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. daily from November 1, 2024 through March 25, 2025. The warming station can accommodate up to 10 individuals per night with some options for short-term stays. It will serve adults over the age of 18 who present as homeless or in need of overnight accommodations. When the warming station has met its capacity, the station will arrange an overnight motel stay.

In an e-mail, Otsego County DSS Principal Welfare Examiner Deborah J Finger said, “We are very grateful to Catholic Charities and our community for reserving this space for people in need of shelter during inclement weather that meets Code Blue criteria.”

Opportunities for Otsego is providing services for DSS when the warming station is closed this month and in April 2025. Those who present at the Homeless Shelter on Depew Street in Oneonta during inclement weather that meets Code Blue criteria will be screened and referred to an available hotel for overnight accommodations, Finger said.

The Homeless Shelter is currently accepting donations for the warming station, with a significant need for personal hygiene products and socks.