Nassau to activate WARMBED, homeless shelter hotline, Wednesday

As winter approaches, Nassau County will activate its Emergency Shelter Relief Program for homeless individuals and families on Wednesday.

WARMBED, Nassau County’s Winter Homeless hotline, will be activated on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. It will run seven days a week through March 31, or longer if cold weather persists.

“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 County Executive Edward Mangano. “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.”

WARMBED and the Department of Social Services will refer callers to shelter placements between 4:45 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and between Friday at 4:45 p.m. and Monday at 8 a.m. Once the individual or family is placed, the DSS and the Office of Housing & Community Development will contact the homeless to discuss permanent housing accommodations.

Homeless veterans will also receive assistance from the Nassau County Veterans Services Agency as part of the WARMBED program.

Last winter, 287 individuals, including 68 children, participated in the WARMBED program.

The WARMBED hotline number is 866-927-6233.

Additional emergency numbers for the homeless include Department of Social Services at 516 -227-8519 during business hours and 516-573-8626 after hours; Long Island Crisis Center at 516-679-1111; The Safe Center L.I. at 516-542-0404; and Nassau University Medical Center 516-572-0123.