GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — As temperatures are expected to drop to freezing this weekend, people experiencing homelessness in Gaston County are bracing for dangerous cold without a warming shelter.
[ JAN. 2026: Gaston County opens 24/7 warming center ahead of winter storm ]
A woman in Gaston County said she is worried that she won’t be warm enough. The Gaston warming shelter won’t open for another couple of weeks at the earliest.
Channel 9’s Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon spoke with people trying to prepare for the first cold snap of the season.
“You don’t want to be out here. It’s horrible,” said Kimberly Stout, who is unhoused.
Stout is not looking forward to this weekend when temperatures are expected to get down to freezing.
“Thank God for good people that give me blankets and stuff like that,” Stout said.
She normally sleeps at a bus stop, which provides some shelter from the rain, but Stout fears it won’t be enough this weekend with the cold temperatures.
She worries she may die.
“Especially these temperatures,” Stout said.
The pastor of City Church said he hopes to open a warming shelter later this season, near downtown Gastonia where there are food pantries and services.
Currently, they’re having trouble finding a suitable place nearby.
The Gateway Gaston is an agency that supports people on the street.
“If they have any family or friends they can crash with for a while, that’s a great opportunity, knowing it’s temporary,” said Dwayne Burks, the director of The Gateway Gaston.
Stout said she doesn’t have family nearby or friends who aren’t in the same position she’s in.
Burks said, “Overnight is tough because when the churches have tried to take people in, the city has typically said, ‘No, you have to meet this requirement and that requirement.’”
Burks said that is the problem he’s facing.
He said the warming center needs to meet local and state regulations for sleeping overnight and believes they are close to a resolution, but not before this weekend.