A fire took North Knox Baptist Church out of this winter's warming center plan. The housing office is looking for one or two more host sites for December to February.

Knoxville and Knox County are looking for one or two more churches to open as overnight warming centers this winter, after a fire put one of the planned sites out of action.

The Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability made the appeal on Wednesday, Oct. 21. North Knox Baptist Church had planned to host a warming center this season. After “a devastating fire” at the church, the congregation can no longer do so, the office said.

This winter’s warming centers so far

The office listed four sites for the 2026-27 season:

  • St. James Episcopal Church, new this year
  • Church Street United Methodist Church, returning
  • Cokesbury United Methodist Church, returning
  • Eternal Life Harvest Center, returning, now at its Western Avenue location with more room; its former Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue building was sold

What the office is looking for

Ideal sites are on or close to a bus route and have a large multipurpose room that can be given over to overnight use, the office said. Churches are the main ask, but nonprofits, businesses and other groups with suitable buildings can also apply.

Hosts do not work alone. The office and its partners provide:

  • training
  • overnight security
  • operating guidance
  • help with transportation, food and medical care

Each site goes through a life-safety approval with the Knoxville Fire Department and the housing office, according to the office’s warming center page.

How warming centers work

Warming centers are volunteer-run sites. They open on nights from December through February when the overnight low is forecast at 25 degrees or colder, if enough volunteers are available, the office’s page says. They add to, but do not replace, the city’s other shelter:

  • Emergency shelter every night of the year, such as Knox Area Rescue Ministries and the Salvation Army
  • Seasonal shelter every night through the winter, regardless of temperature, at ReLAUNCH
  • Warming centers on the coldest nights

Check-in is usually from about 6 or 7 p.m., and guests leave around 7 or 8 a.m. Centers do not ask for ID or run background checks. On nights they open, Knoxville Area Transit usually offers free rides starting in the afternoon, the page says.

Between Dec. 14, 2025, and Jan. 26, 2026, between about 470 and 760 people a night were sheltered across the whole system during severe weather, the office says. The highest single night was 757. Nobody was turned away for lack of warming center space, it says.

What it means for you

  • If your church or group has a big room near a bus line: read the warming center page, which has the interest form, a congregation guide and a recruitment video.
  • If you cannot host: the office also needs drivers, meal teams, morning cleanup crews and supply donations. Its page links a wish list of supplies.
  • If you or someone you know needs shelter tonight: Knox Area Rescue Ministries and the Salvation Army run emergency shelters every night.