Pinellas Cold Night Shelters

Cold Night Shelters are pop-up shelters operating through Pinellas County when the "feels like" temperate dips below 40-degrees between November 15th and March 15th.

Pinellas Cold Night Shelters have officially activated for Tuesday night, December 30, 2025. The National Weather Service expects the "feels like" temperature to reach “feels like” lows of 40 and colder during this time.

Cold Night Shelters provide guests with a warm, safe place to sleep when the National Weather Service expects the "feels like" temperature to reach 40-degrees or colder across the county between 6pm and 6am. Most locations also provide a meal.

Please find a list of Cold Night Shelter locations in both English and Spanish - including bus routes - here.

Through a partnership with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), bus rides to and from Pinellas Cold Night Shelters will be free beginning at 5:00pm Tuesday, December 30th and ending at 7:00am Wednesday, December 31st. Riders must tell PSTA drivers that they are going to a Pinellas Cold Night Shelter when boarding to ride fare-free. If denied a free ride, riders should ask the driver to contact PSTA dispatch. 

About Pinellas Cold Night Shelters

Pinellas Cold Night Shelters are a lifesaving program that provide those in-need with a warm, safe place to sleep on the coldest nights of the year. The Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas (HLA) activates Cold Night Shelters when the National Weather Service predicts the “feels like” temperature will reach 40-degrees or colder between 6pm and 6am across Pinellas County.

Pinellas Cold Night Shelters are nontraditional, “pop-up” shelters inside of local churches, community centers, and emergency shelters. Pinellas Cold Night Shelters are located in Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Kenneth City, and St. Petersburg. Each location provides guest with a blanket and mat, and many locations provide meals and additional supplies. When activated, Pinellas Cold Night Shelters are open between 6pm and 6am.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) offers fare-free transportation during Pinellas Cold Night Shelter activations. PSTA bus rides to and from Pinellas Cold Night Shelters are free beginning at 5:00pm on each night of the activation and ending at 7:00am the following morning. Riders must tell drivers they are going to or leaving a Cold Night Shelter to ride fare-free. If drivers have questions, riders should ask them to contact PSTA Dispatch.

Pinellas Cold Night Shelters rely on community support, as they are primarily staffed by volunteers. Please click here to learn more about volunteering, and click here to learn about donation opportunities. If you are interested in sponsoring, volunteering with, hosting, or collaborating with Pinellas Cold Night Shelters, please email Info@HLAPinellas.org.