Staff photo / Ed Runyan James and Christie Centafanti were layered up amid frigid temperatures as they waited for a bus Monday morning.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, the 211 Help Hotline and others were preparing Monday to help people who might need a place to stay warm when temperatures in the Youngstown area drop below freezing today.

The Rescue Mission had two beds available Monday morning on its men’s side and no room for women or families.

But there is an overnight warming facility that can accommodate about four people on the men’s side and on the women’s side, said John Trickett, chief program officer.

“In the winter months, our emergency overnight rooms become very crucial for individuals coming in off the street,” he said.

Each side has a room with chairs where about four people can stay warm from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

“It has a bathroom with washer and dryer, shower and a sink so they can get cleaned up, get their clothes clean, and they can rest in a warm room where they can either figure out where they are going the next day if we are full or make arrangements to get to another facility,” he said. “We give them community resources to reach out to,” and they can also get breakfast.

If the Rescue Mission has room the next morning, the person could also get admission to one of the regular rooms, he said.

Trickett said that because the new Rescue Mission, which opened in November 2021, can serve a larger number of people than the former facility, they have not had problems accommodating more people when cold weather hits. The former facility had 40 beds for men, not the 100 it has now, and has 86 beds for women and children.

He said if there were to be a big influx of people, there is a protocol that could be employed, clearing out one of the men’s “day rooms,” and putting 14 mats on the floor.

One of the current clients of the Rescue Mission, Jason, told The Vindicator on Monday he was a client of the Rescue Mission last year but he failed to follow a rule and had to leave for 30 days. He was able to return Dec. 31.

During the 30 days out, he stayed in an abandoned house on the North Side with several other men. Though there was no heat or electricity in the home and the temperature dropped to the single digits, it was better than sleeping outside, he said. “You could freeze to death outside.”

“I’ve only been homeless since last June. I had a job, but my friend quit taking her medication and threw me out, so I lost my job and everything,” he said. “The winter is not easy at all. I’m grateful for this place,” he said of the Rescue Mission. “It’s going to be 12 below tomorrow.”

Annette, the operator of the Our Community Kitchen on Mahoning Avenue just west of downtown, said in addition to providing meals, the facility provides a warm place for people to get out of the weather.

“They can come out of the cold, sit and have a meal until we close up. We have breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lunches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. And at 1 p.m., we close up. We do offer hats, scarves, gloves and socks for anybody who needs those,” she said.

The Mahoning County Commissioners announced recently that they had awarded funds to Catholic Charities Regional Agency to provide cold-weather services through March 30.

It is for individuals unable to stay with family, friends or at a local shelter by securing temporary accommodations in motels, according to a county commissioners press release.

To access the assistance, call Catholic Charities at 330-744-3320 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Outside of those hours, individuals should call 211 for assistance.

Vince Brancaccio, chief executive officer for the 211 Help Network of Northeast Ohio, said the best thing a person can do if they need help avoiding the cold is to “call 211. Call us. We have all of the latest information, whether it is warming stations or … someplace to stay overnight.”

Also in the townships of Austintown, Ellsworth and Jackson, warming centers will be provided to their residents if needed, according to the Austintown Communications Center.

In Austintown, a warming center will be available at the Austintown Senior Center by calling the Austintown Fire Department at 330-799-9721.

The Ellsworth Township Fire Department will make the fire department available as a warming center on an as-needed basis by calling the department’s dispatch center at 330-259-1731.

The Jackson Township Hall and Administration building will be opened if needed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The phone number to call to make arrangements is 330-538-3093.