NAMPA, Idaho — With snow falling, and temperatures expected to drop into single digits later this week, some Treasure Valley residents don't have a warm place to stay.
For the first time, the City of Nampa has established warming locations where people can go to stay out of the cold. They're similar to cooling locations that the city has had during past summers.
The warming locations are within four public buildings in Nampa:
Nampa Public Library - 215 12 Ave South
Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Hugh Nichols Public Safety Building - 820 2nd Street South
Daily from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Nampa City Hall - 411 3rd Street South
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Harward Recreation Center - 131 Constitution Way
The Harward recreation center has been made available for families only.
Monday - Friday, 5 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"This is Idaho and it can get really cold. And we just want to make sure that if people need a safe, warm place to go when it is below freezing that they have a location - especially within our city that we have a place for our residents," Amy Bowman, director of communication for the City of Nampa's said.
The idea for the warming locations came up after a student at Northwest Nazarene University called the city to see if they had - or would consider setting up the locations.
“It was a really easy decision actually, since we already had the cooling locations determined to just add warming locations," Bowman said. "And of course, our library is already frequently used year-round. They have a lot of amazing resources, free computers and additional information available for our community.”
The building is the same as the ones uses for summertime cooling. The offer drinking fountains, bathrooms, and other resources.
"The library sees probably the most number of patrons. When we've opened up during the summer, honestly, we probably didn't see a lot - which is good," Bowman said. "We will not really like to see a lot of use if it's not needed. But this is just a small way that the city can give back to our community, especially during our winter months.”
The warming locations are open until further notice.
For additional resources, FindHelpIdaho.org allows people to search for financial, food and medical support based on location. Their list of temporary shelters near Nampa - including some that offer nighttime services, can be found here.
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