Medstar partners with the Pope Francis Center to provide shelter during extreme cold weather events

Monday, January 20, 2025 — Pope Francis Center (PFC) will open the gymnasium at its Bridge Housing Campus starting today at 5 p.m. as an emergency shelter from extreme cold for those experiencing homelessness.
The gymnasium will be open on a “shelter-in-place” basis through Wednesday morning, meaning guests cannot come and go throughout the day while staying at the site. PFC will be setting up 50 cots in its gymnasium and serving three meals a day to guests who choose to stay.
Temperatures across metro Detroit are forecast to plunge into single digits on Sunday night. Lows early in the week are expected to be near or below zero. Including windchill, temperatures are forecast to be as low as 15-25 degrees below zero.
“This kind of cold is deadly for people living on the streets,” said Fr. Tim McCabe, president and CEO of PFC. “I am so grateful we have community partners and volunteers who are coming together during these weather emergencies to make sure everyone has a safe place to shelter and stay warm.”
Medstar, an EMS and mobile health care provider that serves 11 counties in Michigan, will be assisting with on-site staffing and transportation.
To shelter at the Bridge Housing Campus, people should call 211 to find out if space is available or visit PFC’s Day Center at 438 Saint Antoine St. in Detroit on Monday or Tuesday.
PFC regularly serves more than 200 guests a day at its Day Center. Guests receive nutritious meals and have access to laundry and shower facilities, as well as outside professionals and agencies that help with housing, legal, medical and dental needs.
PFC took a major step forward in its mission to end chronic homelessness in Detroit with the opening of its Bridge Housing Campus last year. The 40-unit residential facility in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood provides residents with shelter, along with intensive medical, respite, psychological, addiction, social and job-readiness services. After their stay, residents transition to permanent supportive housing.
Background:
PFC has been serving Detroit’s most vulnerable citizens since 1990 and is committed to eradicating chronic homelessness in Detroit. For more information, visit pfc.org and follow PFC on Facebook and Instagram.