When Louisville Metro is undergoing a severe weather emergency, or extreme cold or heat, Operation White Flag goes into effect. During a wind chill of below 35 degrees or a heat index over 95 degree, participating shelters will fly a white flag outside of their doors to indicate that White Flag is occurring. You may remain inside of the shelter as long as the flag is flying outside. In addition to wind chill and heat index guidelines, White Flag will also go into effect when an ozone alert occurs. Call the Single Point of Entry line at 502-637-BEDS to find out if White Flag is in effect on any given day.
The shelters that participate in Operation White Flag include:
Wayside Christian Mission
432 East Jefferson St.
502-742-6166
Salvation Army Center of Hope
911 South Brook St.
502-671-4904
St. Vincent de Paul (Men Only)
1034 South Jackson St.
502-584-2480 ext. 224
If you are ineligible or banned from any particular shelter, it is up to the staff on whether or not you are allowed in. White Flag also does not guarantee that a shelter bed will be available.
*This information was compiled from the Coalition for the Homeless' Street Tips book.*