• What can FEMA do for me? - flyer 
• SNAP Replacement - winter storm assistance for SNAP recipients whose food was lost or destroyed. 

The George R. Brown Convention Center (Downtown Houston)

The City of Houston will open the George R Brown (GRB) Convention Center downtown as a shelter/warming center starting Sunday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX 77010.

Will the shelter at the GRB accept people with pets?

Yes. BARC will be there to help.

UPDATE: The GRB has reached capacity. People should seek shelter at one of the other locations on this list or call 2-1-1 or 3-1-1 for assistance. 

Transportation to shelters:

How will unsheltered people get to the warming centers?

• Homeless outreach teams are proactively seeking out people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to provide cold weather gear and to offer transportation to the convention center.
• People who need transportation to shelter should call 3-1-1 or 2-1-1.
• METRO and Yellow Cab will assist in providing safe transportation to warming centers as well.

Warming Center Locations:

Fort Bend County: 

If anyone comes across an individual or family experiencing homelessness and in need of assistance during this cold weather, please contact Fort Bend County Social Services at 281-238-3502. Social Services staff will perform an assessment over the phone and help the individuals/families with available shelter options.

Additional Locations: 

• Lakewood Church is open as a warming center/shelter. Check their Twitter account for details. 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX.
• Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee helped to establish a warming center in conjunction with the National Association of Christian Churches at 16605 Air Center Blvd Houston, Texas 77032. Call (832) 626-7111. 
• Cy-Fair Helping Hands, in partnership with two Northwest Houston churches, will have warming centers available starting Sunday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. at the following locations:
• Copperfield Church, 8350 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77095
• The Foundry UMC, 8350 Jones Rd., Houston, TX 77065
• Hope Impacts is partnering with Crosspoint Community Church to offer a warming center for local homeless in the Katy area, this warming center will be open throughout the week until Saturday. Contact 713-705-7884 for more information or volunteer opportunities - 
• Crosspoint Community Church, 700 Westgreen, Katy, TX 77450  
• If there are vulnerable residents (elderly, persons needing electricity for medical equipment) in the Katy area that need a place to stay, they should contact Katy Dispatch at 281-391-4848 for assessment.
• River Pointe Church – Richmond Campus (at 21000 Southwest Fwy, Richmond, TX 77469) has opened a warming center to help those without power. This warming center is operating as a refuge of last resort. Residents should bring blankets, food, water, and whatever else they need to be comfortable. Residents staying at the warming center will need to observe social distancing and wear a mask. PLEASE CALL AHEAD. 
• Gallery Furniture has opened warming centers at two locations: 7227 W Grand Pkwy S, Richmond, TX 77407. Call (281) 407-7161.  And 6006 N. Freeway in Houston. (UPDATE As of Wednesday evening, the warming center at the Grand Parkway location of Gallery Furniture has closed due to a loss of electricity.) 
• Grand Parkway Baptist Church has opened as a warming center. 12000 FM 1464, Richmond, TX 77407. Call (281) 277-2200.
• Fort Bend Community Church is open during daytime ONLY at 7707 Hwy 6, Missouri City, TX 77459. Open Wednesday (2/17/2021) from 12pm-6pm, Thursday (2/18/2021) and Friday (2/19/2021) from 9am-6pm.
• Shadycrest Baptist Church at 3017 Yost Blvd, Pearland, TX 77581. 8A-5P
• Peace Church of Pearland at 2849 Miller Ranch Rd #503, Pearland, TX 77584
• Pearland Recreation and Natatorium at 4141 Bailey Rd, Pearland, TX 77584
• First Baptist Church of Pearland at 3005 Pearland Pkwy, Pearland, TX 77581
• Crosspoint Church at 1134 Old Alvin Rd, Pearland, TX 77581 
• Legacy Church at 4085 FM 528 Rd, Alvin, TX 77511
• One Church at 1720 West Sealy, Alvin 77511 
• Heights Baptist Church at  1591 County Rd 144, Alvin, TX 77511
• The Church on Masters at 6911 Masters, Manvel, TX 77578
• LifePoint at  3011 Yost Rd,  Pearland, TX 77581
• Alvin Missionary Baptist Church 2102 W. Lang, Alvin TX 77511
• Bayside Community Center at  4833 10th St, Bacliff, TX 77518
• Galveston Central Church at 3308 Avenue O 1/2 Galveston, TX 77550
• High Island Gym at 2113 6th St, High Island, TX 77623
• Hometown Heroes Park at 1001 E League City Pkwy, League City, TX 77573
• Maud Marks, 1815 Westgreen BLVD, Katy, TX 77450
• The Fellowship, 22765 Westheimer Parkway, Katy TX
• Merrell Center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane, Katy
• Sienna Annex, 5855 Sienna Springs Way, Missouri City
• Sagemont Church at  11300 S Sam Houston Pkwy E, Houston, TX 77089
• Lake Jackson Rec Center at 91 Lake Rd., Lake Jackson, TX 77566

Information provided by Harris County Public Health:

Please see the list below for water distribution locations in the area. 

• Delmar Stadium: 2020 Mangum Rd., 77092 @ 11:30AM
• Greenhouse International Church: 200 Greens Road, 77067
• New Faith Baptist Church N.E.: 8955 North Wayside Dr., 77028
• Garden Oaks Church of Christ: 4926 North Shepherd Dr., 77018
• Kingdom Builder Cathedral: 8146 East Houston, 77028
• J Robinson, SR Community Center: 1422 Ledwicke, 77029
• Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church: 3015 N MacGregor Way, 77004
• Bethel Institutional Baptist: 5530 Selinsky, 77048
• Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church: 7817 Calhoun, 77033
• St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church: 8309 Brandon Street, 77051
• West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM): 10501 Meadowglen Dr, 77042 - Friday 11 a.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m.
• Church at the Cross: 3835 S. Dairy Ashford, 77082 - Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
• Townwood Park: 3402 Simsbrook Drive, 77045
• Fountain Life Center: 14083 S Main, 77035

The Precinct 4 team will be on hand this afternoon to distribute non-potable water to county residents in need from noon to 5 p.m. Supplies are limited to 10 gallons per person, and recipients must bring their own appropriate container (milk jugs, ice chests, etc.)

• Burroughs Park: 9738 Huffsmith Road, Tomball, 77375
• Levy Park: 3801 Eastside St., Houston, 77098
• Humble Civic Center: 8233 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, 77338
• Barbara Bush Library: 6817 Cypresswood Dr, Spring, 77379
• Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center: 1414 Wirt Rd, Houston, 77055

Galveston

Water distribution to residents will begin Friday morning at 10 a.m. in two locations: 

• the parking lot of Schlitterbahn located at 2109 Lockheed St. in Galveston
• the Island Community Center, 4700 Broadway in Galveston

Residents are welcome to drive-up to pick up water. Residents with families of up to four people will receive one case of water. Families of five or more will receive two cases.

Montgomery County

Montgomery County Food Bank will have a Food and Water distribution event today in Willis at 600 Gerald St. today at noon. The event is first come first serve.

Outreach teams that interact with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness are providing information, cold weather supplies (e.g., blankets and hand warmers), and transportation to shelters/warming centers in advance of the anticipated winter weather. This includes homeless outreach teams from Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff's office, and The Way Home agencies including:

• The Coalition for the Homeless
• SEARCH Homeless Services
• Avenue 360
• Star of Hope
• The Harris Center PATH
• U.S. Vets (veteran-specific)

The following agencies in The Way Home Continuum of Care have informed us they are currently accepting in-kind donations of blankets, coats, and other winter gear for people experiencing homelessness:

• The Beacon: www.beaconhomeless.org or email rmarshall@beaconhomeless.org
• Collaborating Voices Foundation: www.collaboratingvoices.org 
• Lord of the Streets (LOTS): https://www.lotshouston.org/ 
• Temenos CDC: https://www.temenoscdc.org/
• West Houston Assistance Ministries: https://www.whamministries.org/

Click here to view a complete list of agencies in The Way Home CoC.

If your agency is a current partner of The Way Home CoC and you would like us to include information on this page about special services your agency will be offering, or in-kind donations you are seeking, during the arctic blast, please send that information to Caybryn Southern at csouthern@homelesshouston.org and Catherine Villarreal at cvillarreal@homelesshouston.org.

FEMA Announces Emergency Aid for Texas

FEMA announced federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Texas to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by a severe winter storm beginning on Feb. 11, 2021 and continuing.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in all three counties in our Continuum of Care, i.e., Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state, eligible local, tribal and territorial governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, statewide.

Visit https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4586 to learn more.

Beyonce Knowles and her BeyGOOD initiative have teamed up with Adidas and Bread of Life to provide urgent relief to those in need.

The assistance is for "one-time financial assistance to those who have experienced a non-recurring, sudden or emergency-related financial hardship" due to the storm that has so harshly affected the state of Texas.

Click here to read more about this initiative, view the application form, and see how you can donate.