Between a pandemic and a polar vortex: Warming Centers in DeKalb, Sycamore are prepped for residents

DeKALB – For those in DeKalb County without a home to keep warm in during a polar vortex with wind chills in the negative numbers, and a pandemic which limits entry into public buildings or overnight options, staying out of the elements can be a challenge.

There are free options for this in a bind, however, including the Salvation Army’s warming center, 830 Grove St., open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“It’s available for anyone who needs a warm place to be,” DeKalb Salvation Army Major Angie Hansen said. “We all know what it’s like to be cold, and it’s nice to know that there are options. There’s a place you can go to where you can sit down and warm up.”

Tables and chairs are set up socially-distanced and hot chocolate, coffee, WiFi and a TV are available – all in a safe, comfortable environment at the Salvation Army Community Center, free for anyone in need of warmth during winter’s dangerously cold temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for DeKalb with an elevated excessive cold risk this week. A Wind Chill Advisory is also issued through 10 a.m. Tuesday, meaning as temperatures plummet, wind chills could make the outside air feel like negative 30.

At those temperatures, frostbite can occur quickly. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, frostbitten skin is whitish and stiff, and the area will feel numb rather than painful. If you notice these signs, take immediate action, and if you’re able, cover your skin with gloves, a hat, or try and find a place indoors. To treat frostbite, warm the affected part of the body gradually.

The cities of DeKalb and Sycamore are providing warming centers to help residents while temperatures are colder. Most aren’t open overnight, however, prompting some, including DeKalb Ward 1 Alderman Carolyn Morris, who’s also running for mayor, to call for local leaders to take charge.

“I assumed the warming centers were open 24-hours, and it was an eye-opener that there are no overnight warming centers in DeKalb,” Morris said Monday. “Temperatures this low are a life and death matter. We need an entity, a nonprofit organization, to act as a leader and coordinator to help people in the community.”

The Salvation Army has not had any community members utilize the warming center yet this year, but had three people last year.

“However, we didn’t have as many cold spells last year,” Hansen said.

The Salvation Army also has caseworkers that can help with rent and utility assistance.

“The mission of the Salvation Army is to use the resources we have to help others,” Hansen said. “There are no requirements to use the warming center, other than having a temperature check and wearing a mask.”

Christ Community Church in DeKalb is open as a warming center 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Kevin Maillefer, worship pastor at Christ Community Church, described the church’s warming center as “a way to meet the community’s physical as well as spiritual needs.”

“We’re providing a safe place for others to become warm, it’s an opportunity to serve the community,” executive assistant to the campus pastor Sandi Plinske said. “We can find out what other needs we can help meet as a church and offer resources they may not be aware of. They can leave feeling warm, loved and cared for.”

If you go

DeKalb warming centers include:

· DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St., 815-756-3568

· DeKalb Park District, Hopkins Park Community Center, 1403 Sycamore Road, 815-758-6663

· DeKalb Salvation Army Community Center, 830 Grove St., 815-756-4308

· Christ Community Church, 2350 Pride Ave., 815-787-6161

In Sycamore, the warming centers are located at:

• Sycamore Police Department, 535 DeKalb Ave., open 24 hours every day

• Sycamore Public Library, 103 E. State St., open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

The warming centers are open during each facility’s operating hours, which vary and may differ on holidays. The facilities may close during severe weather conditions. Call ahead for updated availability before traveling out into the cold.

The number of people allowed inside each warming center may be limited by COVID-19 occupancy restrictions and social distancing requirements. Face coverings are required.

To request a well-being check for someone who may be suffering because of the extreme weather, call 815-748-8400.

Landlords must provide heat to residential buildings to maintain a room temperature of at least 68 degrees between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and at least 62 degrees at other times, per city of DeKalb Municipal Code, Chapter 24 Building Code, Section 602. To report inadequate heat in a residential building, call 815-748-2070 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Call 815-739-0745 after hours.

To find the closest warming center, call 815-748-8460 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.