JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the upcoming chilly weather, several shelters across Jacksonville are opening their doors Monday night to those who need a place to stay.
Some people at City Rescue Mission and the Sulzbacher Center told Action News Jax Shanila Kabir they have been waiting for overnight shelters to start opening now that we are almost a week into January.
“When it gets 30° or below, we’re freezing out here sometimes,” Jacksonville resident Allen West said.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
More than a dozen people lined up at Sulzbacher to avoid the first freeze of 2025.
One man who wanted to remain anonymous said he spends every day at Sulzbacher, and now he is happy he can spend the night.
“I’m always thankful for them. They’re pretty good people here. They actually take care of us, and they do the most they can for us,” he said.
Aside from the City Rescue Mission and Sulzbacher, local churches and city buildings are taking people in. They are prepared to be open for a while. In Fernandina Beach, the Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium will be open overnight until Jan. 12.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“We’ll wait until 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. to get in sometimes, or they’ll let us in earlier if it’s cold in the morning. We can shower, eat, and rest here,” the man told Action News Jax.
Local officials are seeing if more people will be using the shelters this week. This is the first freeze warning since a new law went into effect allowing people and businesses to sue if police do not crack down on public sleeping.
Action News Jax has told you Jacksonville shelters will be expanding to be able to handle more homeless people. However, that work is not finished yet.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
As for the people who need to find a warm place to stay, they said Jacksonville always steps up around this time.
“They let us sleep overnight and give us breakfast. It’s a good experience for sure,” West said.
If you know someone who needs help, click here for a list of all overnight shelters in Jacksonville.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
