Lexington's Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention has activated its emergency winter weather plan as overnight temperatures drop below freezing, allowing shelters to expand capacity and ensure no one is turned away. At the Salvation Army, staff say they're already operating beyond normal capacity before the winter weather activation."We're at capacity, and beyond capacity to begin with," said Alex Risen, Salvation Army development manager.The emergency plan requires shelters to accommodate everyone seeking shelter, even if it means placing people in hallways or common areas."We're not gonna turn somebody away as long as we have a place to be able to put them and so that's as many places as we can fit them, you know, in the hallways. If somebody absolutely needed to stay in the lobby, you know, that's something that, you know, we always kind of talk about," Risen said.Danielle Thompson, Salvation Army director of guest services, said the organization does everything possible to help despite short notice when weather conditions change."Right now we're just doing everything that we can. Obviously we don't have too big of a notice when it happens unless you're just kind of paying attention to the weather all the time, but as we know, it changes very quickly," Thompson said.This year, the city is relying heavily on seasonal solutions, including a temporary winter shelter on Versailles Road that adds 216 additional beds for adult men and women through April.The demand continues rising, with 925 people experiencing homelessness in 2025, up 100 people from last year.Winter weather activation also expands access beyond normal check-in hours at the Salvation Army."When we're in winter weather, if obviously you're walking around and it's later than what our check-in time usually is, I think our check-in starts at 10 and it ends at 10 at night, but if you are outside of those hours and you come in, we'll absolutely let you in," Thompson said.As winter continues, providers emphasize that compassion and long-term solutions remain critical."We're not gonna, you know, turn somebody away. We're going to give you at least a warm place to stay for the night even if we didn't have, you know, the cot or the bedding to be able to give you," Risen said. ...read more read less