Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced that WARMBED, Nassau County’s Emergency Shelter Relief Program for homeless individuals and families during the winter months, is now activated.
“No resident should have to spend nights in the freezing cold when they can call the Nassau County Hotline and be placed in a warm shelter right away,” said Curran. “Homeless residents calling the hotline will be connected immediately to a person who can help them get out of the cold and obtain the services they need to restart their lives. Help is really just a phone call away.”
The Nassau County Winter Homeless Hotline, WARMBED, will operate seven days a week and run through March 31. If winter conditions persist beyond March 31, the program will continue until warmer weather arrives.
Between the hours of 4:45 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and Friday from 4:45 p.m. through Monday at 8 a.m., employees from WARMBED and the Department of Social Services (DSS) will make appropriate referrals and provide shelter placement. Once placed, the staff at DSS and the Office of Housing and Community Development will contact those who are homeless in order to access resources for permanent housing. Curran also urges Nassau’s homeless veterans to take advantage of the WARMBED program, where they will be assisted by the Nassau County Veterans Services Agency.
During the 2017-18 season, a total of 482 individuals comprising of 345 adults and 137 children were housed by the WARMBED program.
Contact the Nassau County Homeless Hotline (Warmbed) at 1-866-927-6233. Other emergency numbers include the Department of Social Services 516-227-8519; the Long Island Crisis Center 516-679-1111; The Safe Center LI 516-542-0404 and Nassau University Medical Center 516-572-0123.
