Cold-weather shelter to open Monday, Tuesday as Flagler County expects overnight lows to dip below 40 degrees

The Sheltering Tree will open its cold-weather shelter on Monday and Tuesday nights at the Rock Transformation Center (formerly Church on the Rock) not only for the homeless, but for anyone who is without heat. 

The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures to fall below 40 degrees during the overnight hours on December 2 and December 3, which is the criteria for opening the cold-weather shelter.

“Our cold snaps are hitting early this season – just barely out of hurricane season. We urge anyone without adequate housing or adequate heat to come to the cold-weather shelter,” said Health and Human Services Director Joseph Hegedus. “The Sheltering Tree and the Rock Transformation Center will provide cots and meals.”

The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following the schedules below – 

East side of the county

• Dollar General at Publix Town Center on Market Avenue (leads to Dollar General), 3:30 p.m.
• McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side, 4 p.m.
• Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot, 4:30 p.m.
• Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, 4:45 p.m.

West side of the county

• Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.

• Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard, 4:30 p.m.
• Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street, 4:30 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the close proximity)

The Rock Transformation Center is located at 2200 N. State Street. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5 p.m. and will close at 8 a.m. the following day. 

The Sheltering Tree, 386-437-3258, is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center and is a non-denominational civic organization that was created to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.

Weather and heat safety preparedness tips from Flagler County Fire Rescue include:

• Never use the oven to heat the home
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
• Screen fireplaces to contain sparks
• Portable space heaters should be kept 3-feet away from anything that can burn 
• Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed

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