As DuPage County and Northern Illinois endure an extreme cold front, an overnight warming site is available at DuPage PADS Wheaton access center for anyone who is in need of shelter.
The overnight warming center is located at 703 W. Liberty Dr. in Wheaton. The center will be open to walk-ins every day from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m.
“It’s life-threateningly dangerous,” said April Redzic, CEO of DuPagePads. “We’re just trying to do everything we can to get folks in and warm and in a place where they can be safe.”
The National Weather Service issued an extreme cold warning for the Northern Illinois area, with the coldest temperatures reported between 3 a.m. and noon Friday. Windchills could reach as low as -40.
“This is a new program,” Redzic said. “This is the first year we’ve been able to do this. Providing this lobby means that when someone loses their apartment or they’re in an emergency and they don’t have a place to stay, police departments can drop them off with us, or they can come by themselves to stay in our lobby instead of another space that’s used for a different purpose.”
Funding for the site to stay open overnight during the winter was provided by the DuPage County Board and the DuPage Foundation.
Community members who observe someone who is unsheltered are encouraged to notify the DuPagePads Street Outreach program by calling 630-682-3846 or providing them with the phone number.
“The need has been unprecedented,” Redzic said. “We’re seeing more seniors than ever.”
Between programs, DuPagePads has about 390 people staying with them each night, with the majority at the interim housing center, Redzic said.
The center has paid staff, a security guard and volunteers on site. Food and showers are available.
Those who arrive at the emergency winter shelter are provided with a change of clothes and a coat if they are in need of one, Redzic said.
“The goal is just to make sure anything we can do to make somebody warm and okay and get them on that next step to end their homelessness is why we’re here,” she said.
This winter, the center has been seeing between 2 and 15 people coming in to access the center overnight, Redzic said.
A full list of warming centers that can be used during the day can be found on the DuPage County 211 website. Locations include police department lobbies, libraries and other public city facilities.
Populations most vulnerable to hypothermia include older adults, babies and those who are homeless, repots the Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms to look out for include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. In babies, signs of hypothermia are bright red, cold skin and very low energy.
The CDC advises covering areas most susceptible to frostbite such as nose, ears, cheeks, chin and fingers when going out in the cold.
The DuPage County Continuum of Care (CoC) coordinates systemwide homelessness strategy.
A DuPage County CoC dashboard estimates that between 2023 and 2024 480 people experienced homelessness on a daily basis, and between Dec. 2024 and Nov. 2025, 598 of those helped have been children, 164 have been veterans and 407 have been survivors of domestic violence.
The warming center is available as DuPagePads and other public housing groups face uncertainty as a result of federal policy changes.
In a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, U.S Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) questioned Secretary of Housing and Urban Develoopment Scott Turner about a potential gap in services as a result of changes in federal programs.
“I got a message from one of our partners who provides housing yesterday,” Casten said. “We have people in our permanent housing program who are on oxygen tanks with COPD, receiving chemotherapy. If they lose their house for a week, much less six months, it is a death sentence.”
DuPage County Human Services Committee Chairman Greg Shwarze said the county works closely with Pads and other non profits to make sure people have access to shelter during brutally cold days.
“The DuPage County Board provided $342,090 to DuPagePads on Nov. 25, 2025, to provide housing for people who are unsheltered during the winter months,” Schwarze said. “DuPage County also provides our 211 information line, available 24/7 to guide people to services if they find themselves in need at this time.”