Where to find overnight shelter in San Diego during storms and cold weather

With the possibility of heavy rains and flooding this week, several San Diego homeless shelters are preparing to take people in.

The National Weather Service has predicted heavy rain on Thursday and Friday and warned that San Diego residents should watch for flooding along the coast and in other parts of the county.

Enough rain could lead city officials to activate San Diego’s four inclement weather shelters, which offer unhoused people a warm, dry place to spend the night when the weather gets especially cold, rainy or stormy.

“Everything is regulated by temperature, wind and how much rain,” said Rachel Hayes, who volunteers at one of the four shelters. “If it's a storm, we're going to be open.”

Hayes emphasized that the city decides each morning whether to open shelters for that night. She recommended calling the county’s 211 hotline to double check whether the shelters are open before showing up.

In addition to being a safe place to sleep, the inclement weather shelters are meant to be easier to get into. They will accept almost anyone who shows up, unlike many other shelter systems which require recommendations or additional screenings before accepting people.

The National Weather Service is predicting more than an inch of rain this week, which would likely meet the city of San Diego’s threshold for opening the shelters, according to the city’s website.

Hayes said a stay at her shelter, Living Water Church of the Nazarene in downtown San Diego, came with hot chocolate and dinner in the evenings and oatmeal and coffee in the morning. If the city does decide to open them, she recommends getting there early.