Where to find warmth in Alexandria during the cold snap
The city's winter shelter is open around the clock, but transit options are limited and other warming centers are closed.
Tonight’s low drops to around 3 degrees, with wind chills plunging to 4 below zero. A cold weather advisory remains in effect through 11 a.m. Tuesday, and the National Weather Service warns that dangerous cold will persist through much of the week as an Arctic air mass grips the region.
Here’s what residents need to know about staying warm and helping neighbors who may need shelter.
The winter shelter is open 24 hours — for now
The city’s winter shelter at 2355-A Mill Road is operating around the clock through 7 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28. The shelter provides a warm place to sleep, showers, snacks, laundry, and light case management.
Contact: 703-746-6551
For disability accommodations, contact danelle.johnson@alexandriava.gov or 703-746-5791.
Guests should enter through the left side of the building, near the fence.
After Wednesday morning, the shelter returns to regular hours: 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily through April 15.
Getting there
DASH buses — which normally offer free rides to the shelter — are not running on Monday. Check dashbus.com for updates on whether service resumes on Tuesday. Metro Rail is operating on a Sunday schedule. The shelter is accessible via Metro’s Yellow Line to the Eisenhower Avenue station, then a short walk.
Other options
Carpenter’s Shelter at 930 North Henry St. (the Hoffman Center) is a 60-bed facility open 24/7 regardless of weather. Contact: 703-548-7500.
The Alexandria Community Shelter at 2355-B Mill Road — where the winter shelter is located — is a 64-bed city-owned facility also operated by Carpenter’s Shelter. Contact: 703-746-3660.
David’s Place — Carpenter’s Shelter’s day program — is closed during the extended winter shelter hours.
Libraries and recreation centers that normally serve as daytime warming centers are closed Monday. Check alexandriava.gov/Calendar for updates — if facilities reopen Tuesday, libraries offer warming hours Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you or someone you know needs help
Call 703-746-5700 or text 703-346-5599 to connect with housing services.
If you see someone who may need help
Call 703-746-4444 for welfare checks.
