System Briefing · Winter 2026–2027
White Flag Winter Shelter
The full winter picture: every door into shelter, what’s new this year, and how four sprints will convert shelter stays into housing outcomes.
Download the PDFWinter shelter in Durham is a system-wide effort. On White Flag nights, providers across the city open their doors beyond their year-round capacity — at a moment when every organization’s staff and resources are thin. The City thanks each of them: meeting this need takes an immense effort, and Durham’s providers are making it.
Every door into shelter this winter
| Offering | Who it’s for | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| White Flag Hotel Shelter (Open Table Ministry) — every night | Families with children, medically vulnerable adults, and single adults | Shelter waitlists and the by-name list — not walk-in; locations shared at referral |
| Urban Ministries of Durham | Adults only | Coordinated Entry referral; walk-in after 8 PM · 410 Liberty St |
| Families Moving Forward | Families with children | Coordinated Entry — not walk-in · 300 N Queen St |
| Durham Crisis Response Center | Survivors fleeing domestic violence or sexual assault | Coordinated Entry or the DCRC 24-hour helpline, (919) 403-6562 — not walk-in · alternate secure location |
| Durham Rescue Mission | Men, and women and children | Walk-in, check-in 5 PM · 1201 E Main St / 507 E Knox St |
White Flag nights are called when weather is at or below 32 degrees, or 35 degrees with rain or snow. On those nights, HEART teams may be able to transport neighbors to shelter, depending on HEART’s availability, and survival kits are available to anyone unable to access it. Entry Point Durham: 984-287-8313.
Special thanks to this year’s White Flag partners
- Open Table Ministry — operating the expanded hotel shelter and the White Flag triage line, which served neighbors well last season. Stepping into the operator role is no small thing; we are grateful.
- Urban Ministries of Durham — opening 10 additional beds on White Flag nights.
- Families Moving Forward — opening 5 rooms for families on White Flag nights.
- Durham Crisis Response Center — opening 3 rooms for survivors on White Flag nights.
- Durham Rescue Mission — opening their doors to walk-ins every White Flag night.
What’s new this year
This winter, the system adds a hotel-based White Flag shelter, operated by Open Table Ministry, and runs it as a launch point for Housing Sprints — the time-bound work that Durham has now demonstrated quickly moves families and singles into housing. The plan at a glance:
| Element | What we’re planning |
|---|---|
| Season | Every night, November 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027 (120 nights) |
| Rooms | 40 across two City-secured Durham sites — 8 family · 8 medically vulnerable · 24 single-adult |
| The two sites | Site A: families and medically vulnerable adults · Site B: single adults |
| Access | Through shelter waitlists and the homelessness system’s by-name list — not walk-in |
| Stable housing target | 70 households (families and singles), approximately 90 to 110 people housed |
| The bottom line | Safe interim shelter through winter — and a base for Housing Sprints toward permanent housing |
Four sprints across two moments
The system will run four Housing Sprints across two distinct periods inside the White Flag season, so the hotel works as a launch point.
| Sprint | Window | Role in the season | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprints 1 & 2 | Nov 1 – Dec 15, 2026 | Opens with the season | 30 households across sub-populations — approximately 40 to 50 total people housed |
| Sprints 3 & 4 | Jan 15 – Feb 28, 2027 | Carries the season to its close | 40 households across sub-populations — approximately 50 to 60 total people housed |
Two pathways, running opposite ways
Families and single adults move through the hotel in opposite directions. Each pathway reflects what has actually worked for that population.
The family pathway
Sprints move families out of Families Moving Forward and Urban Ministries of Durham into permanent housing — and families at the White Flag hotel step forward into the non-congregate spots that open. This flow honors family-specific realities: families in non-congregate shelter often construct their lives around their shelter site, with addresses for school and bus drop-off and pick-up, so moving families into a hotel from non-congregate family shelter can be especially disruptive.
The single-adult pathway
Single adults move from Urban Ministries of Durham into the White Flag hotel, then sprint from the hotel into permanent housing. Each move-in opens a shelter bed behind it, bringing more neighbors inside during the coldest months. This pathway differs from the family pathway and honors experience that has shown it is difficult to move individuals from a non-congregate setting, like a hotel, into a congregate setting, like UMD’s singles space.
One system, pointed at one goal
- Sprint teams embed at the family shelters and hotel sites and drive the sprint milestones — documents, program enrollment, unit identification, application, move-in.
- Housing Stabilization Case Management carries households through the twelve-month stabilization arc after move-in.
- The City’s HOPE team convenes case conferencing and provides unsheltered-approach project management; during active sprints, daily case conferencing tracks each neighbor’s next step and problem-solves barriers in real time.
- The Flexible Housing Assistance Fund moves deposits, application fees, and move-in costs at the speed of opportunity.
What the season is for
Run this way, White Flag creates space in the system as it fills: every household that moves into housing opens a shelter spot behind it. The aim is a season in which White Flag shelter works as a bridge to stable housing as well as shelter from the cold. This approach represents system-wide alignment with the Strategic Framework, deep collaboration with multiple partners, and a focus on housing outcomes.