INDIANAPOLIS — The City of Indianapolis, in collaboration with the Continuum of Care (CoC) Network, will operate two overflow shelter locations during the 2025 – 2026 winter season in addition to overflow beds at the Assessment and Intervention Center, and Wheeler Mission Shelter for Men and Center for Women and Children.
The Family & Single Women’s Overflow Shelter (on Tibbs) will remain open continuously from Dec, 1, through March 31, 2026, regardless of temperature, to ensure families have uninterrupted access to shelter and support.
The Single Men & Couples’ Overflow Shelter (on West Morris), in a new pilot, will be activated based on National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts of 25°F air temperature or below, a 15°F windchill, or precipitation with a windchill of 25°F from Dec. 1 through March 31, 2026.The Single Men & Couples’ Overflow Shelter at West Morris will open from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on activation nights. The City of Indianapolis will determine and announce by 8:00 a.m. each day whether the projected conditions meet the overnight temperature activation criteria stated above. If temperatures do not rise above the activation threshold, the shelter will remain open beyond 8 a.m. until conditions improve and remain above 25°F.
This temperature-based activation model for single men & couples is a pilot being implemented for the 2025/2026 winter season to evaluate its effectiveness in aligning shelter operations with actual weather impacts.
As of this writing (Monday, Dec. 8), the National Weather Service predicts a low of 3 degrees on Friday and Saturday, and a low of 6 on Sunday, with highs in the teens.