With the return of winter weather, ushered in by yesterday’s sleety snow and harsh winds, Baltimore is making extra homeless shelter space available through the end of March.

“Due to the forecasted cold weather over the coming weeks, the City of Baltimore is extending winter sheltering until the morning of April 1, 2017 on nights when the temperature reaches 32 degrees or below,” the city announced, via an email from the Homeless Services Program.

Terry Hickey, acting director of the Mayor’s Office of Human Services, said the decision, announced via a Monday email, was made “before the storm was imminent.”

“If the temperature is 32 or below, we expand all the emergency shelters to their max capacity and if necessary, activate an additional emergency overflow shelter, which gives us access to approximately 200+ additional beds,” Hickey said. ” This has allowed us to guarantee shelter in these conditions to anyone who requests it.”

The email advises clients to arrive by 6 p.m. and includes this information:

Single Adults and Couples: The Weinberg Housing Resource Center (620 Fallsway) serves as the access point for single adults and couples. A “winter shelter coordinator” there is in charge of placements and transportation to participating shelters.

Families: For anyone with children, the access point is St. Vincent de Paul’s Sarah’s Hope shelter (1114 Calvert Street) and the Salvation Army’s Booth House (1114 North Mount Street) will be the access points.

Referral Information

• Winter Shelter Coordinator/Adult Sheltering – Weinberg Housing Resource Center, 620 Fallsway – Walk-In, 410- 478-3777
• Sarah’s Hope – 410-396-2204
• Salvation Army – 410-685-8878