This is not because women suffer less from the cold than men do. It is because very few women are comfortable sleeping among 70 to 100 strange men. In actual practice, the men and women's sleeping rooms are separated. They share a common entry, however. The perception of women is that they are going to be sleeping in shared quarters, and perception is a reality we have to deal with.
Access is a critical factor in any shelter.
Yet we all also know that women feel more vulnerable on the streets than most men do. Access is therefore an even more critical factor in a women's shelter. The First United Methodist Church is at Fifth and Columbia, good access to downtown. Many women are already accustomed to going to the Church of Mary Magdalene and Mary's Place, hosted there. More women will use a severe weather shelter there than a severe weather shelter at the Seattle Center.