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Port Huron residents urge council to expand warming‑center capacity after weekend cold snap
Summary
Multiple residents and nonprofit volunteers urged the Port Huron City Council to expand overnight shelter capacity and better coordinate code‑blue responses after volunteers sheltered roughly 20 people during an extreme cold event; city staff said the city coordinates with nonprofits and has funded shelter infrastructure.
Several Port Huron residents and nonprofit volunteers urged the City Council to expand warming‑center capacity and improve shelter coordination after a recent polar event left people exposed to dangerous cold.
Rachel Bodley, who identified herself and said she volunteered at the Blue Water Allies Center, told the council she found it "despicable and even morally corrupt" that people were sleeping on the streets during the cold and pleaded for more warming shelters and support for people with mental‑health, substance use and mobility issues. Betty Hall, who said she had worked at a shelter over the weekend, recounted police bringing in an elderly woman who was "frozen half to death," and asked whether project penalties (she cited $105,000) would help businesses harmed by recent disruptions.
Brian Farquhar, a resident who spoke about plowing and city services, pressed the council to "open the checkbook" and questioned why some designated shelters were not available overnight; he suggested the city examine where it directs grant funds and nonprofit partners' operations. A nonresident, Melissa Merchant, said she spent three days working with the unhoused over the weekend and asked the council to create a plan to protect vulnerable residents, including women who lack safe overnight options.
City Manager (speaker '11') responded that the city coordinates with a countywide group of nonprofits and had identified more than five warming sites. He said some locations were designated for "code blue" and that the city has used grant funds to help build shelter capacity. The manager cautioned that keeping people overnight can trigger state laws governing staffing and training; because of those regulatory demands, the city relies on nonprofits to operate most overnight sites, though the city will onboard more capacity if necessary.
Council member Payton said the Blue Water Ally Center took about 20 people overnight two nights in a row during the cold spell and said she would join the city manager in talking to clergy and larger churches that did not open their doors. Mayor Ashford and other council members acknowledged the testimony and said they would develop a plan, explore available grants, and follow up with a roundtable on the issue.
The council did not adopt a new policy during the meeting; members said they would revisit the city's warming‑center plan and report back. The meeting included additional public comments about roads, development and policing.
