Freezing temperatures and recent snowfall in Kitsap County triggered the opening of severe weather shelters to provide safe and warm beds for those in need.

“The special shelters have been busy this year. We didn’t have many openings until we were into this new year. We had a very mild November and December overall. It’s gotten really busy in recent weeks,” said Dave Rasmussen, spokesman for county Department of Emergency Management. Shelter guests are provided a bed, coffee and snacks.

Severe weather shelters are open to adults, families and teens. “Anybody that needs to come in out of the cold to get warm and have a safe place to stay overnight is welcome,” said Carl Borg, county Housing and Homelessness program manager.

Transportation to the shelters can be arranged through G2G2, a nonprofit based in Bremerton, by calling 360-373-3000. Kitsap Transit buses also provide free transportation to the shelters when people indicate where they are going.

By late January the weather shelters had been activated 11 nights and accommodated 265 overnight stays. The highest number was 33 on Jan. 21. Last year, the facilities were open 28 evenings and had 563 overnight stays.

Freezing temperatures at Bremerton National Airport trigger the opening of the shelters. Power outages and high winds, such as those that slammed the area in November, can also lead to them opening.

The shelters are located at Port Orchard United Methodist church, 725 Kitsap St; the Silverdale Community Church, 9982 Silverdale Way N.W.; and at the Village Green Community Center, 26159 Dulay Road N.E. in Kingston.

Local groups donate space for the shelters, which are staffed by volunteers, vetted and trained by the county.

One of the volunteers is Roland Arper of Port Orchard, who manages that shelter. He has been part of the emergency shelter operation for eight years and enjoys the work.

“When you work that first shift and you get the chance to talk with these individuals and hear their stories about the challenges they’ve had in their life. We’ve had three guests, and we helped them fill out their application to get them into permanent and stable housing. It’s those success stories that kind of make it worthwhile,” he said.

Other severe weather shelters in the county include the Salvation Army’s nightly shelter in Bremerton at 832 6th St. and the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center at 370 Brien Dr. SE.

The shelters are opened during severe weather Nov. 1 through March 31. The Port Orchard and Silverdale shelters open at 6 p.m. and the Kingston one at 6:30 p.m.