Kitsap emergency weather shelters have been open for 23 nights in two months
Kitsap County's four overnight emergency shelters have been open for 23 nights in two months, with nine nights in November and 14 nights in December as of Thursday.
The county's four severe weather shelters — Village Green Community Center in Kingston, Port Orchard United Methodist Church, Gateway Fellowship Church in Poulsbo, and Silverdale United Methodist Church — have been activated to host those in need for nine successive days since Dec. 14 as temperatures dropped and severe weather conditions continued in Kitsap County. As of this week, all four shelters were able to find volunteers to open the facilities, but more volunteers are needed to maintain the program, county officials said.
The severe weather shelters are activated when the National Weather Service forecasts the overnight temperature to reach freezing or lower than 32 degrees at the Bremerton National Airport, when there is snow on the ground, heavy rain, or when high winds are expected during a 24-hour period.
Each shelter has a group of dedicated volunteers who help set up beds and make sure people in need have a warm place to sleep at night. But especially during times when the shelters were open many days in a row, it can be challenging to find volunteers, said Kirsten Jewell, Kitsap County Department of Human Services Housing and Homelessness Division Manager.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/kitsap-emergency-weather-shelters-have-been-open-for-23-nights-in-two-months/ar-AA15zrIz
