GREENFIELD — Amid frigid temperatures, the city activated its Overnight Warming Center at The Salvation Army for the second consecutive weekend, with volunteers overseeing a warm refuge for those without shelter.

The volunteer-run Overnight Warming Center is open between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The Salvation Army-funded space on Chapman Street provides towels for showers, blankets, snacks and activities for those who come in, excluding sleeping accommodations like beds or cots.

Lt. Paul Leslie, who oversees operations at The Salvation Army’s Greenfield location, explained the city of Greenfield opts to open the Overnight Warming Center, in conjunction with the Medical Reserve Corps of Massachusetts, when overnight temperatures fall below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

As of 7 p.m. Saturday night, the temperature was 17 degrees, with the low hitting 6 degrees by 5 a.m. Sunday morning. When the Overnight Warming Center opened on Sunday night at 7 p.m., the temperature was 7 degrees, with the early-morning hours of Monday dipping into the negatives. The lowest temperature of -2.9 degrees was recorded just before 7 a.m., according to National Weather Service data.

For those without proper winter apparel or shelter, health risks like frostbite are a concern, especially when wind and below-freezing temperatures are predicted.

Leslie said the warming centers have been offered in years past. Planning for the multi-faceted operation gets started in the summer.

“The agreement that was put together was [between] the Salvation Army of Greenfield, the city of Greenfield and the Medical Reserve Corps in order to provide the additional staffing that’s needed for multi-day, overnight shelters,” Leslie explained. “Then the Opioid Task Force [of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region] was able to send it out to the number of agencies that they coordinate with to be able to get the additional staffing as well.”

Christy Lemoine, volunteer coordinator with the Medical Reserve Corps unit serving Franklin and Berkshire counties, was on duty for the Saturday and Sunday night warming center shifts. She explained the shifts are broken up into three, four-hour segments, with two staff members on at all times to cover the 12 hours the Overnight Warming Center is open. She said since the center opened last weekend, a few people have been using the space at a time. Saturday night saw two people stay, and by 8 p.m. on Sunday, four people were in the warming center.

The Overnight Warming Center, although not a homeless shelter due to building codes, offers some overflow capacity for the shelters that are full while helping ensure homeless community members aren’t outside during the coldest nights of the year, Lemoine explained.

“It’s really just here for anyone,” Lemoine said. “If there’s no room left [at the shelter on Wells Street], it’s a place that you can come in, get warm. If you want to put your head down on the table, take a nap, that’s fine.”

On Saturday night, Lemoine was joined by Susan Worgaftik, coordinator of Housing Greenfield, a local advocacy organization that encourages the development of affordable housing in the area. >f F<As of January of this year, there were 252 homeless people sleeping in shelters or outside — more than double the number from January 2023 — in Franklin County, according to data from the annual Point-in-Time count, part of a national initiative set up by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Worgaftik noted the warming centers provide an important option for this population on very cold nights, but that permanent, affordable housing is what will make the biggest difference for those in need.

With the Overnight Warming Center still being in its early stages of operation this winter, Lemoine said there are only a handful of people staying at a time, but that word-of-mouth helps more people learn the resource is available. One of the new elements of the center is a medical kit put together by the Greenfield Health Department, containing first aid supplies and the overdose reversal drug Narcan, in case of an emergency.

Mayor Ginny Desorgher, who helped staff the center from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday night, said there was some concern about having sufficient staffing ahead of the weekend, when the plan to activate the Overnight Warming Center was made early last week. Some city councilors signed up to volunteer on Wednesday night, and members of the Greenfield Fire and Police departments helped fill the remaining shifts as of Thursday morning, Desorgher explained.

“It just shows what great people we have in this community. They want to be involved, so it just feels wonderful,” Desorgher said of the volunteers stepping up to help.

For updates on when the Warming Center is open, visit the Greenfield city website at greenfield-ma.gov, and its Facebook page.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.