ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Buncombe County and the city of Asheville are experiencing a week of Code Purples.

That designation occurs during extremely cold weather and expands emergency shelter available to people experiencing homelessness.

What You Need To Know

  • Buncombe County and the city of Asheville are experiencing Code Purples this week  
  • A Code Purple has been extended until Friday
  • As the state faces colder temperatures, organizations have been working to help keep residents warm

As the entire state faces colder temperatures, organizations have been working to help keep residents warm.

It has been all hands on deck at BeLoved Asheville’s donation center. This team has had one thing on their minds – warmth.

“This week is going to happen several different times where it's single digits and it goes back up, and then single digits,” BeLoved Asheville co-director Amy Cantrell said. “So, that's very hard weather to navigate."

"We want to make sure that folks are not experiencing frostbite and hypothermia — those are the two big things," she said. "And so we educate folks about how to make sure that they're not experiencing that and to know what symptoms there are so they can get help immediately if they are.”

Related: From bitter cold to ice storms and intense snowfall, severe winter weather continues across U.S.

Whether in the form of information or gear, they have spent the past few days spreading warmth.

“In the Asheville, Buncombe County area, we have street pantries that you can fill or just keep things in your car that people might need, like Hot Hands and thick ski gloves, things like that,” Cantrell said. “That can be a significant help. A sleeping bag, a blanket. You can be that arm of care and meet people where they are.”

In an annual census of people experiencing homelessness, Asheville identified 573 people without housing, and 171 of those were unsheltered.

As cold temperatures and wind chills have already arrived, this team wants to make all individuals aware of resources available, especially after rainy conditions. 

“Everybody's stuff is wet and any gear that they had to take care of themselves,” Cantrell said. “So this is really significant that we get this out and make sure that we're keeping people safe, letting people know about Code Purple shelters and how to navigate that and just making sure that this doesn't catch people by surprise.”

“A woman was asleep on the sidewalk and it was raining and she was completely wet,” BeLoved Asheville co-director Ponkho Bermejo said. “This is where all these items become a lifesaver, because a lot of people lost everything yesterday in the rain. Now they want to be able to pick up more items for them to be warm tonight.”

Team members keep an eye on weather conditions so they know when it’s time to head on the road and reach out to the community. They hope to check every part of town and make sure everyone who wants a jacket or a sleeping bag gets one.

The Code Purple is in effect through Friday.

Asheville’s three Code Purple shelters are at the ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters, ABCCM Transformation Village and The Salvation Army. All the city’s public buses will provide rides to these shelters at no cost during Code Purple.