KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability has been coordinating the warming center effort since 2023.

Director Erin Read said this is something they plan for months in advance.

"We've been working since the end of last winter to get warming centers up and running," she said.

Last season, from December 2024 through February 2025, the centers were open for 26 nights, according to the City of Knoxville's website. On the busiest night, those centers served 387 people.

This year, Read said they're expecting around 300 people to seek shelter. That's the number of people who will not be able to get into emergency shelters.

"That's actually fewer people than last year," Read said. "The reason that number has gone down is that we have had some additional resource

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