Fresh Start Warming Center in Coeur d'Alene is fighting the mid-winter blues by keeping its doors open more days this year than any in year's past, according to executive director Howard Martinson.
The center expects to be open for at least a few days this week with cold temperatures and winter storms rolling in.
“We've been open a lot this year, more than any other year,” Martinson said, because this year they raised the “trigger point” for opening the center overnight from 20 to 25 degrees. Fresh Start checks the National Weather Service every day and if it is projected to be 25 or less, homeless people in the area can expect to stay at the shelter.
Martinson estimates that the center hosts 17-20 people on average, but they have enough space for 30. If more than 30 people were to show up seeking a place to warm up, an overflow shelter is ready at St. Luke's Episcopal Church.