With another cold front sweeping the Quad Cities, local shelters struggle to support unhoused individuals with capacity restrictions.
In Rock Island, Project NOW’s Executive Communications Manager Mary McNeil said their overnight warming shelter has had to deny men entry at times. She said this is due to an influx of unhoused men in the Quad Cities and the shelter’s capacity limits.
The Lift NOW Center is open from 9 pm to 7 am and can house up to 37 individuals in total. McNeil says the downstairs floor is reserved for up to 12 men, and the upstairs is reserved for women, families, and members with disabilities.
“So what we did is we took the beds from upstairs and put them on the first level so that we could use every bed. We didn’t want to waste a bed.” McNeil said.
However, McNeil said due to capacity and fire safety protocol, the shelter is unable to rearrange cots to fit extra individuals outside of the center’s established layout. Because of this, she says the shelter has been at capacity each night.
McNeil says Project NOW is accepting food or monetary donations, as well as any volunteers.
Operations Manager Cindi Gramenz at Christian Care says their organization has also seen an increase in men experiencing homelessness.
Christian Care offers a daytime warming shelter in Rock Island that is open to the public every weekday from 8 am to 7 pm. The nonprofit also has two overnight emergency shelters for registered men and women and children.
Gramenz says the emergency shelters are both “first come, first served.” Christian Care’s overnight men’s shelter can hold up to 42, and the women’s can hold up to 20, she says.
“We’ve been at full capacity for quite a while. The need just seems to continue to grow, and we’ve got probably a 50-plus person waiting lost right now.” Gramenz said.
She said the list of men waiting to enter their overnight shelter is much longer than those of women and children.
Christian Care is also currently accepting donations of any coffee or reusable cups, Gramenz says, along with cleaning supplies and toilet paper.
Humility Homes, located in Davenport, can hold 88 adults, but will not turn away individuals, and will provide them with shelter and mats to sleep on until the building hits the fire code capacity. The shelter opens up at 5 p.m., and closes in the morning, encouraging individuals to go out into the community. Last year, they provided an accumulated 30,000 nights of emergency shelter to individuals in the Quad Cities area.
Megan Brown-Saldana, the Chief Development Officer at Humility Homes, points out that they are the only low-barrier shelter in the Quad Cities.
“Specifically when it gets really cold or we have some sort of weather event our staff is always really paying attention to what is going on and keeping their thumb on it to make sure that everybody has everything they need.” Brown- Saldana said.
The Humility Homes Emergency Center is open every day, 24 hours a day, and their administrative office is open Monday- Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, head to humilityhomes.org, projectnow.org, and christiancareqc.org.
Listed below are places in the area opening up as warming centers.
Official and Unofficial Warming Centers
Illinois
- Southpark Mall, Mon.- Sat. 10 a.m.- 8 pm., Sun. Noon to 6 p.m.
- East Moline Public Library, Mon.- Sat., 9 a.m.- 8 p.m., closed Sundays
- Moline Public Library, Mon.- Sat. 9 a.m.- 8 p.m., Sun. 1-4 p.m.
- Rock Island Public Libraries
- Downtown: Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
- Southwest: Mon.-Tues., 12 (noon)- 8 p.m., Wed.- Fri.- 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., Sat., 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
- Watts-Midtown: Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.- 8 p.m., Fri., 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., Sat., 10 a.m.- 2 p.m
- Silvis Public Library, Mon. - Sat., 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.
- Knox County Housing Authority Shelter - 525/527 Iowa Ct, Galesburg (open 24hrs, daily)
- Public Safety Building Lobby - 150 S Broad St, Galesburg (open 24hrs, daily)
- YMCA Lobby - 1324 W Carl Sandburg Dr, Galesburg (available as a warming center, 2/18 - 2/21 from 5am - 9pm)
- Oneida Fire Station - 210 N Sage St, Oneida (open 24hrs, 2/18 - 2/20)
- Wataga Fire Station - 310 W Willard St, Wataga (open 24hrs, 2/18 - 2/20)
- Rock Island Township Lund Hall, 2827 7th Ave, Rock Island, IL 61201, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – Noon; 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- South Rock Island Township, 4330 11th St, Rock Island, IL 61201, 9am - 4pm (closed noon - 1pm for lunch)
Iowa
Clinton County
The Clinton County Administration Building
- 1900 N. 3rd St., Clinton
- Building cafeteria
- 8 a.m. - 4:30 pm. Monday
Bettendorf Public Library at 2950 Learning Campus Dr. in Bettendorf
- 563-344-4175
- Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:40 p.m., closed Sunday
Davenport Public Library Main Branch at 321 Main St. in Davenport
- 563-326-7832
- Monday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Sunday
Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch at 3000 N. Fairmount St. in Davenport
- 563-326-7832
- Monday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. mto 5:30 p.m., closed Sunday
Davenport Public Library Eastern Branch at 6000 Eastern Ave. in Davenport
- 563-326-7832
- Monday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Sunday
Northpark Mall at 320 Kimberly Rd. in Davenport
- 563-391-4500
- Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 6 p.m.
Clinton County Administration Building in Clinton *temporary
- Available starting Monday, Feb. 17 until conditions improve
- Available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1900 N. 3rd Street in Clinton
- Winnie’s Place is a shelter program for women with or without children who are unhoused and/or survivors of domestic abuse. The shelter provides safe housing, food, clothing and support free of charge. If you need shelter, call (309) 757-0757.
- To support the shelter, cash or item donations are accepted at the shelter or the Churches United Office. Bus passes are the most needed items – especially for the Illinois Quad Cities – to help transport women at the shelter to job interviews. Gift cards to Hy-Vee, Aldi, Walmart and Dollar General are also welcome because they can be used to purchase bus tickets.
King's Harvest Ministries Winter Shelter
- King's Harvest offers a meal site from noon to 1 a.m. on Wednesdays and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturdays.
- They also offer a necessity giveaway on the third Saturday of the month that's hosted at the meal site.
- You can contact King's Harvest by calling them at 563-570-4536.
Dubuque (City of Dubuque Health Services)
- 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., ImOn Ice Arena
- 6:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m., Dubuque Intermodal Transportation Center
- 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Dubuque Rescue Mission, 398 Main St.
- 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Bunker Hill Golf Course Club House
- 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Carnegie-Stout Public Library, 360 W. 11th St.
- 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Multicultural Family Center, 1157 Central Ave
- 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Pet Smart (Pet Friendly)
- 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., Petco (Pet Friendly
- 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Salvation Army, 1099 Iowa St
- 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Kennedy Mall (Common Areas)
Update 02/18/25 5:00 p.m.: WVIK changed the header to include the locations are both official and unofficial warming centers. We included Rock Island Township Lund Hall and South Rock Island Township to the list.
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