Critera Set For Activating Healdsburg Emergency Shelter

HEALDSBURG, CA — As winter approaches, the city of Healdsburg in collaboration with its program partner, Reach For Home, is ready to provide support during extreme cold weather, according to City Manager Jeff Kay.

The emergency, cold-weather shelter on Hudson Street will be operational this winter under specific weather conditions.

Here are the criteria for shelter activation:

• Overnight temperatures dropping below 28 degrees for two consecutive days
• Overnight temperature is below 32 degrees for three consecutive days or more
• Average nighttime temperatures below 37 degrees for two consecutive days with accompanying hazardous conditions.
• Cold-related warnings issued by the National Weather Service, including freeze, cold or frost advisories

During the point-in-time count done last winter in Sonoma County, 33 homeless people were counted in Healdsburg — down from 87 in 2022 and 69 in 2021, according to a report from the county.

Of the 33 homeless people counted in Healdsburg this year, 15 were sheltered and 18 were unsheltered, meaning they were sleeping outdoors or in tents, vehicles, motels or abandoned buildings.

Countywide, 2,266 homeless people were counted during the one-day census taken on Jan. 27, compared to 2,893 homeless people counted in 2022. It was the largest year-over-year decrease in homelessness in Sonoma County since a 27 percent decrease in 2015.