Youth Continuum's Tim Maguire (right): Winthrop Ave. warming center open as of Monday night. As snow fell and the temperature plummeted, a third city warming center opened Monday night for homeless young adults looking for a place to sleep and stay warm during winter nights. Meanwhile, two other warming centers will be staying open 24 hours a day until Thursday, as the city has activated its severe cold weather protocol.That third New Haven warming center is run by Youth Continuum. It is located at 317 Winthrop Ave., and will offer overnight spaces for 18- to 24-year-olds who need to get out of the cold. Two other centers, the 180 Center at 438 East St. and Varick Memorial AME Zion Church at 242 Dixwell Ave., opened to offer overnight warming resources on Nov. 15. Those two centers are open to all adults over 18 years old. All three sites are funded by the United Way of Greater New Haven and will be run until April. Click here for more information about each site.The regular hours for these three are from 7 p.m. and to 7 a.m..However, starting at 5 p.m. Monday, the city activated its severe cold weather protocol, effective through 12 p.m. Thursday. According to city spokesperson Lenny Speiller, that means ​“warming centers should be open 24/7 during that time period.” Those extended hours apply for the Varick and 180 Center locations, but not for the Youth Continuum site on Winthrop.Last year, Youth Continuum offered its warming center services at its 943 Grand Ave. drop-in center. But this year, the city’s fire marshal presented new requirements for warming centers, and that called for last-minute changes because Youth Continuum ​“couldn’t meet [the requirements] as the tenant,” according to Executive Director Tim Maguire.Maguire noted that Youth Continuum will not operate 24/7 during the cold weather protocol because it has day programs at its Winthrop site. Young adults are invited to visit the drop-in center during day hours. For the full winter season, the center will work out of its Winthrop Manor site at 317 Winthrop Ave. Youth Continuum will still continue its drop-in center operations at its Grand Avenue site. Maguire emphasized that the center will offer young adults overnight space but not beds. It will also offer light food refreshments, hygiene products, case management, and — for the first time — showers for clients to use, which wasn’t possible last year at its Grand Avenue site. Youth Continuum’s Winthrop Avenue center can be called or texted at 203 – 464-0654 for warming center information. The center is also accepting donations for meals and snacks, and donors can reach out to [email protected]. Maguire said that for its second year, it will offer QR-code check-in for young adults to discreetly scan the code during the day to register with the center and then later be notified when doors open. Maguire said that this has helped preserve privacy and avoid long outdoor waiting lines.Last year, the city opened an overnight warming shelter at the former Strong School on Orchard Street, run by Upon This Rock Ministries. When asked why the site did not reopen this year, Speiller told the Independent that ​“there was a shift from short-term warming centers spaces (at the former Strong School site) to add capacity for more long-term shelter beds (at 645 Grand Ave).”As of September 2024, Upon This Rock Ministries has been operating a 24/7 male shelter with 75 beds at its 6,300-square-foot facility at 645 Grand Ave. The center accepts clients through referrals only.