Hudson County's Warming Center in Kearny Opens Sunday, with Free Buses from Jersey City, North Bergen and Hoboken

The coldest nights of the year are still ahead, and Hudson County's warming center opens Sunday in Kearny. The center, which gives people experiencing homelessness a safe place to spend the night, opens Nov. 15 at the Naval Reserve Facility, 53 S. Hackensack Ave., County Executive Craig Guy announced.

It will be open every night through March 31, 2027, the county said, and outside those dates whenever a Code Blue is declared. It is also open during the day when temperatures stay at or below 32 degrees. People who come in get protection from the cold and meals, and Alliance Community Healthcare provides daily on-site medical services and referrals.

Getting to Kearny is the hard part, so the county is running free buses starting Nov. 15, with riders asked to line up at least 15 minutes early. Buses leave the drop-in center at 422 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City at 5:30 p.m.; Journal Square, at JFK Boulevard and Pavonia Avenue, at 6 p.m.; North Bergen Town Hall, at 43rd Street and Kennedy Boulevard, at 7 p.m.; and Hoboken Terminal, at Observer Highway and Park Avenue, at 7:30 p.m.

Anyone who misses the bus and needs emergency shelter should dial 2-1-1 for NJ 2-1-1, the county said. "No one in Hudson County should have to spend a freezing night outdoors without knowing where to turn for help," Guy said, urging anyone who needs overnight shelter to use the free buses.

The first buses roll Sunday evening, and the nightly service continues through March. For daytime help, the county pointed to shelters and drop-in programs in Jersey City, Hoboken and Union City, including two shelters open around the clock: St. Lucy's Shelter, 619 Grove St., Jersey City, and PERC Shelter, 111 37th St., Union City.

Source: Hudson County.

Photo: Journal Square in Jersey City, a pickup point for the buses. Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)