RIGA, Jan 9 (LETA) - In cold weather, additional support is provided in Riga for homeless people and people in crisis situations, Riga City Council informed LETA.

In adverse weather conditions, Riga City Council provides temporary accommodation in homeless shelters, as well as food, personal hygiene facilities, and services of a social worker.

During winter, homeless shelters in Riga are open from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., and 24 hours a day if, according to the Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, outdoor temperature at 8 a.m. is below minus 10 degrees Celsius or below zero degrees with wind speeds exceeding 10 meters per second.

In this case, persons staying at homeless shelters are provided lunches and warm clothes, and mobile soup kitchens are deployed in addition to the existing soup kitchens.

Riga City Council urges residents who see homeless people staying outdoors, in garden sheds or in other uninhabitable places to report these situations to the police first by calling 112.

Riga Municipal Police perform regular patrols around the city and inform homeless people about the possibility of getting help, as well as relocate homeless people to homeless shelters.

There are four soup kitchens in Riga, where anyone can get a hot meal without having to present an ID. They operate at 13 Ziepju Street, 2a Zandartu Street, 125 Krisjana Barona Street, and 56 Krisjana Barona Street.

Riga homeless shelters can accommodate up to 655 people in total.