What to know about the Hospitality Hub emergency overnight shelter in Memphis

Brooke Muckerman, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
The lounging area at the nonprofit Hospitality Hub, can be seen at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.
The lounging area at the nonprofit Hospitality Hub, can be seen at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.

With the blistering cold of the wither upon us, many unhoused Memphians are now seeking refuge in warming shelters.

Warming shelters are not intended to replace services that are provided by other shelters and serve as a temporary shelters for those in need of refuge from the cold weather.

The Hospitality Hub provides emergency warming shelters for those experiencing homelessness in Memphis during extreme winter weather.

What is The Hospitality Hub?

The Hospitality Hub opened in 2007 and was founded by the Downtown Churches Association, according to its website. It is located at 590 Washington Ave. in Downtown Memphis, and in 2022 the new Hub campus was opened that included an emergency barrier-free shelter for women and children.

The Hub Hotel is the emergency shelter on the Downtown campus. There, women and children can get direct, trauma-informed services with no barrier to entry.

The lounging area at the nonprofit Hospitality Hub, can be seen at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.
The lounging area at the nonprofit Hospitality Hub, can be seen at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.

Other services the Hub provides include Hub Studios, which are auxiliary dwelling units for those experiencing homelessness.

When does The Hospitality Hub open as a warming shelter?

The Office of Emergency Management decides when to activate the warming center at the Hub but there are some criteria that must be met to do so. The threshold for opening the shelter in the winter is dependent on both wind chill and the chance of precipitation. The thresholds for opening are as follows:

  • Temperatures less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit with a 70% chance or greater of precipitation for more than three hours;

  • Temperatures less than 28 degrees Fahrenheit without a chance of precipitation;

  • Temperatures less than 24 degrees Fahrenheit wind chill for three or more hours;

  • Leadership discretion.

How do I know when The Hospitality Hub is open?

The Hospitality Hub will post on social media as will other city-managed social media platforms when the warming shelters are open.

Find a list of City of Memphis social media platforms here.

The nonprofit Hospitality Hub, has secured $1.7 million in federal funding for the organization because of U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen located at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.
The nonprofit Hospitality Hub, has secured $1.7 million in federal funding for the organization because of U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen located at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, Tenn., August 28, 2023.

In addition to posting on social media, signage is posted outside the Hub facility and the Hub's Outreach Team shares information with known individuals sleeping outside throughout the community.

What time does the warming shelter open?

Doors open at 10 p.m. and close the next morning at 8 a.m. when it is operating but times are also dependent on temperature and wind chill.

The shelter can hold up to 100 people, but the number could be lower based on gender, community needs and safety assessments. Guests will need to check in upon arrival and IDs are not required.

All are welcome, and there will be separate spaces for single men, single women and families with limited kennels available for service dogs.

Sack meals and blankets are provided to guests.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at (901) 484-6225, brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Hospitality Hub: what is it and when is it open?