Additional warming centers open in St. Louis to meet the demand

ST. LOUIS – Founder and CEO of City Hope St. Louis spent time between Asbury United Methodist Church north of St. Louis and the Cherokee recreation center south of St. Louis on Saturday night.

Bishop Michael Robinson said both sites are currently operating warming centers. At the beginning of the week, extremely cold temperatures created a shortage of vacancy.

“All the shelter beds in our city are full,” says Robinson. “We didn’t have room for anyone to go last night.”

Asbury United Methodist Church suffered a setback in November. Thieves stole the church’s heating equipment.

Robinson said donations from St. Louis and more gave permission for the church to install a new kiln.

“We will be able to have 25 guests here at this location and up to 40 people at the Cherokee recreation center,” he said.

These two sites along with six existing warming sites the agency is operating through a partnership with the city of St. Louis. Dinner and breakfast are also available.

Robinson said City Hope St. Louis is looking for additional assistance in delivering meals and visiting staff centers 24 hours a day. He encourages anyone who wants to help reach out organization’s website.

For more information about finding help, visit to the website of the city of St. Louis.