Austin Activates Overnight Cold Weather Shelters

City partners with Austin Area Urban League to staff and provide resources at the shelters

Jan. 30, 2026 at 1:23pm

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The city of Austin has activated overnight cold weather shelters every night for a week as a winter storm rolled through Central Texas and temperatures dropped below freezing. The shelters will remain open through February 1st. The city partners with the Austin Area Urban League to staff and provide resources at the overnight cold weather shelter activations.

Why it matters

Providing overnight shelter is crucial during extreme cold weather events to protect vulnerable populations from the elements. The city's decision to keep the shelters open 24/7 when temperatures remain below freezing during the day reflects an effort to better support those experiencing homelessness.

The details

The city opened seven overnight shelter locations during the recent freeze that brought sleet and ice to much of Austin. It takes dozens of additional city staff to operate the shelters when they have to remain open during the day on an around-the-clock basis. Previously, even on days when the temperatures stayed below freezing, folks at the overnight cold weather shelters would be asked to leave every morning and return the following night. Now, when the shelters are open for consecutive nights, and when temperatures during the day are going to remain cold, folks may be given the option to stay during the day.

  • The city has activated overnight cold weather shelters every night for a week as a winter storm rolled through Central Texas.
  • The overnight shelters will be available through February 1, 2026.

The players

Austin Area Urban League

The city partners with this organization to staff and provide resources at its overnight cold weather shelter activations.

Chris Anderson

The deputy director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations, who discussed the city's staffing plan for the extended cold weather shelter activations.

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What they’re saying

“For an extended activation, we have to have 24-hour staffing, so we will be tapping into some of our city staff. The Austin Parks and Recreation department will be coordinating that staffing plan to have minimum of seven staff members at every one of these cold weather shelters.”

— Chris Anderson, Deputy Director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations (KXAN)

“The reason we decided to do this is: one, it's a burden on city staff to have to coordinate transit, and it's also a burden on the people that are using the shelters–have to gather all their stuff, go back into the cold during the day.”

— Chris Anderson, Deputy Director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations (KXAN)

What’s next

The city plans to keep the overnight cold weather shelters open through February 1st as temperatures are expected to remain below freezing.

The takeaway

Austin's decision to keep the cold weather shelters open 24/7 when temperatures remain frigid reflects a commitment to better support those experiencing homelessness and protect vulnerable populations during extreme weather events.