Central Florida expands shelter access amid incoming cold front

Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel on Dec 29, 2025

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida government officials and nonprofits will expand access to shelters ahead of a cold front that will move through the region Tuesday, bringing frigid conditions that will last into the new year.

Tuesday night will likely be the coldest of the week, with temperatures in the 30s expected across the region. The wind chill continuing overnight into Wednesday morning could push “feels-like” temperatures into the upper 20s to low 30s, according to the National Weather Service.

The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida has been coordinating efforts to add extra capacity to existing shelters when temperatures go below 40 degrees. It’s up to individual counties to open additional shelters, known as “warming centers.”

Regional Lynx buses will provide free transportation to the nearest shelter, according to the Homeless Services Network.

Orange County will be opening two warming centers at the Barnett Park Recreation Center Gym on West Colonial Drive in Orlando and the Goldenrod Recreation Center on North Goldenrod Road in Winter Park.

The warming centers will operate overnight Tuesday and reopen for overnight hours Wednesday. They will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following morning, according to a county spokesperson. The warming centers last opened during a cold front in early November.

Osceola County will be opening three warming centers at First United Methodist Church St. Cloud, located on Ohio Avenue; Iglesia Del Nazareno Casa De Vida on Fortune Road in Kissimmee; and Poinciana Christian Church on Pleasant Hill Road in Kissimmee, county officials said. They will open at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Homeless Services Network also listed existing shelters in Orange and Seminole Counties that will be expanding capacity this week, including:

•Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, 18 N Terry Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801

•The Salvation Army Orlando (Men Only) 624 Lexington Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801

•Orlando Union Rescue Mission, 3300 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32805

•Rescue Outreach Mission, 1701 W 13th St, Sanford, FL 32771

•Matthew’s Hope, 611 Business Park Boulevard, Winter Garden, FL 34787

•Salvation Army Women’s and Children’s Shelter, 400 W Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32804.

A shelter for registered sex offenders will be located at the Whitcomb Facility at the Orange County Jail.

Lake County will open a shelter at LifePointe Church on East Orange Avenue in Eustis from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. The county will determine the duration of operations based on weather conditions.

County Transit will provide free transportation to individuals who desire to travel to or from a Lake County Emergency Management-designated Cold Weather Shelter.