DC Hypothermia Season: The Shelter Hotline, Free Rides and Where to Sleep
Washington, DC is one of only three places in the country with a legal right to shelter in hypothermic weather. From November 1 through March 31, one phone number gets you a bed, a free ride and a welfare check for someone outside. Here's how the season works and what changes on the coldest nights.
AT A GLANCE
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A right to shelter, written into law
DC's Homeless Services Reform Act requires the District to have a winter plan in place every year. The current one, the FY27 Winter Plan, was adopted by the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness on October 15, 2026. It says the District is one of only three jurisdictions that give people a legal right to shelter when the weather is hypothermic.
In practice, that means you don't have to "qualify" for a bed on a cold night the way you would for a housing program. Year-round low-barrier shelters stay open 24 hours a day. From November through March, the District adds hypothermia shelters on top of them as beds fill up.
During hypothermia season, the Shelter Hotline is available 24/7.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) runs its hypothermia hub at cold.dc.gov. As of October 23, it says the page will be updated when the season begins on November 1, 2026, and the current alert status is "no alert."
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How the District decides a night is dangerous
The DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) checks the forecast with the National Weather Service every day between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. It then decides whether to call one of two alerts. Both are based on the wind chill, not just the thermometer.
Alert | When it's called (FY27 Winter Plan) | What changes |
|---|---|---|
Cold Alert | Wind chill of 21°F to 32°F; or 16°F to 20°F with less than a 50% chance of rain or snow; or 33°F to 40°F with at least a 50% chance of rain or snow | Outreach hours are extended |
Extreme Cold Alert | Wind chill of 15°F or below; or 16°F to 20°F with at least a 50% chance of rain, snow, freezing rain or sleet | Hypothermia shelters stay open around the clock; the District may open warming sites or send warming buses |
DHS's own web page sums this up more simply: a Cold Alert for 16°F to 32°F (or up to 40°F with precipitation), and an Extreme Cold Alert below 15°F (or 20°F with precipitation). If the two ever seem to disagree, call the hotline. Staff there can tell you the alert status at any time.
How to find out the alert status
Sign up for free text or email alerts at alert.dc.gov.
Check cold.dc.gov, where DHS posts the current status during the season.
Follow @AlertDC or @DC_HSEMA on X.
Ask in person at a police station, fire station, DC public library or Department of Parks and Recreation center.
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Where people sleep: the shelter system
The District uses two kinds of shelter for single adults. Most year-round low-barrier shelters operate 24 hours, 7 days a week. Hypothermia shelters open in phases as the year-round shelters fill. DHS activates more beds when 80 percent of available beds are taken.
You don't need to pick a shelter yourself. The Winter Plan tells people to always call the Shelter Hotline so they're sent to a location with space. That matters, because the District deliberately doesn't publish its overflow sites, so people don't show up at buildings that aren't open yet.
Here are the published year-round sites from the plan's shelter list:
Shelter | Address | Serves |
|---|---|---|
New York Avenue Men's Shelter | 1355-57 New York Ave. NE | Men |
801 East Men's Shelter | 2722 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE | Men (also hypothermia beds) |
Adam's Place Men's Shelter | 2210 Adams Place NE #1 | Men |
Emery | 1725 Lincoln Road NE | Men (also hypothermia beds) |
Harriet Tubman, D.C. General Building 9 | 1910 Massachusetts Ave. SE #9 | Women |
Patricia Handy Women's Shelter | 810 5th St. NW | Women |
Saint Josephine Bakhita Women's Shelter | 6010 Georgia Ave. NW | Women (open 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) |
Eve's Place at Adams Place Day Center | 2210-B Adams Place NE | Women (hypothermia season) |
Living Life Alternatives | 400 50th St. SE | LGBTQ+ adults |
Hours that change with the weather
Hypothermia shelters normally run from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. If an Extreme Cold Alert is called, they extend into the daytime and stay open 24 hours. The plan says they stay open through that 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. window even if the alert is downgraded partway through the day. St. Josephine's is the one exception: it keeps its 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. hours.
The plan also keeps hypothermia shelters open all day on these holidays, whatever the forecast:
November 26 and 27 (Thanksgiving and the day after)
December 24 and 25 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
December 31 and January 1 (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day)
January 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
February 15 (Presidents Day)
Shelters provide two meals a day at low-barrier and hypothermia sites. Unity Health Care runs clinics at several shelters, including New York Avenue, 801 East, Adams Place and the Pat Handy Center.
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Getting there: free rides all season
United Planning Organization (UPO) runs the hotline's vans 24/7 during hypothermia season. Rides come in two forms.
Type | How it works | When |
|---|---|---|
Scheduled | Set routes from shelters to day centers and service sites in the morning, then back to shelters in the evening | Mornings 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.; a 2 p.m. run; late afternoon and evening 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. |
On demand | Call the hotline or 311 and a van is sent to you | Any time, but not for at least 30 minutes before the first scheduled run or after the last one |
DHS warns that on-demand rides can be slow from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 9 p.m., because scheduled routes come first. Snow and ice can slow things down too. At least one van on every shift is accessible to people with disabilities; ask for it when you call. The current route schedule is posted on UPO's Shelter Hotline page.
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Seeing someone outside in the cold
Anyone can call for someone else. DHS asks callers to give the date and time, the address or location, and a description of the person.
Call the Shelter Hotline or 311 when:
Someone asks for a ride to shelter or any homeless service
A person is alert but says they're cold, or looks cold
Someone seems vulnerable and you're worried the weather could hurt them
Call 911 when:
You know something that raises their risk, like age, a medical problem or substance use
The person already shows signs of hypothermia: sluggish, confused or shivering
Conditions are severe, with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice
They're missing shoes, gloves or a hat, or their clothes or blankets are wet
People who turn down a shelter bed can still get help. UPO's outreach teams hand out blankets and other supplies, and during alerts the District suspends most encampment cleanups.
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Families, young people and minors
Families have a separate front door. The Virginia Williams Family Resource Center at 64 New York Ave. NE is central intake for families who are homeless or about to be. It's open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon. DHS encourages families to start by phone.
Who | Where to call or go |
|---|---|
Families with children | Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, (202) 526-0017, or the Shelter Hotline, (202) 399-7093 |
Young adults 18 to 24 | Shelter Hotline, or a youth drop-in center such as LAYC (3045 15th St. NW) or Sasha Bruce's Barracks Row center (741 8th St. SE) |
Minors 12 to 18 on their own | Sasha Bruce Youthwork Safe Place Hotline, (202) 547-7777, 24 hours |
Children under 12 on their own | Child and Family Services Agency, (202) 671-7233, or 911 |
If your family needs a wheelchair-accessible unit or a private bathroom because of a disability, say so at intake. The Winter Plan says DHS will try to make that placement the same day.
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When a shelter falls short
Problems at a shelter can be reported to DHS's Office of Program Review, Monitoring and Investigation. Call (202) 673-4464, email OPRMI@dc.gov, or use the suggestions and complaints form on the DHS website. Family intake concerns can go to VWFRC.Concerns@dc.gov.
For a mental health crisis, the Department of Behavioral Health's Access Helpline at 1-888-793-4357 is staffed 24/7.
Before you call
☐ Your exact location, or the person's, with a cross street or landmark
☐ A short description of the person if you're calling for someone else
☐ Whether you need an accessible van or have a disability-related need
☐ Any medications you'll need overnight
☐ For families: everyone's names and birth dates, and IDs if you have them
☐ A charged phone, so the van driver or hotline can call you back
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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Related help
Families should read our guide to DC emergency family shelter and Virginia Williams intake. If your heat is off at home, see how to stay warm safely until it's restored. For rent, utility and other local help, visit our Washington, DC financial help guides.
Official sources
Last checked: October 23, 2026 (DHS cold.dc.gov page and the FY27 Winter Plan). Overflow sites aren't published, so call the hotline for an open bed.
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