With temperatures plunging into the single digits and the wind chill factor dropping at times below zero, the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services has activated emergency shelter conditions for people experiencing homelessness and for anyone else who needs relief from the cold, Jessica Dortch, a spokeswoman for the office, said Wednesday.

Baltimore’s interim health commissioner Mary Beth Haller has declared a Code Blue Extreme Cold Alert through Thursday, signaling that weather forecasts call for temperatures below 13 degrees, wind chill included.

It represents a warning that conditions can cause hypothermia, frostbite and pose other threats to health and even be fatal to anyone exposed to them for long.

The homeless services office had already instituted its Winter Shelter and Code Purple Plan, a set of protocols that make warming centers, food, shelter and transportation available to anyone in need between Nov. 1 and March 31.

Emergency conditions go into effect when temperatures fall below 32 degrees, wind chill included.

The city works with local partners to provide five warming centers and five overnight shelters. All were up and running, and outreach teams were searching the city for anyone who needs help, Dortch said Wednesday afternoon.

The office tracks attendance at each of its facilities, she added, and though many were busy, Dortch said the office keeps the numbers confidential.

Anyone in need of help should call the city’s shelter hotline at 443-984-9540, where phones will be answered through 9 p.m.

Emergency overnight shelters will open at 4 p.m. as usual, Dortch said, and guests may stay through 9 the next morning.

For overnight stays, the Fairfield Inn Hotel at 101 S. President St. accepts single females, couples and families.

The Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training, or MCVET, at 301 N. High St. is open to single males.

The Weinberg Housing and Resource Center at 620 Fallsway is open to single women.

Should those sites fill up, overflow housing is available to single adults at the Robert C. Marshall Recreation Center at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave., and to families at the former Lois T. Murray Special Education School at 1600 E. Arlington Ave., Randolph said.

The city also helps operate warming centers at Beans and Bread on South Bond St., the Franciscan Center on W. 23rd St., Manna House on E. 25th Street, My Sister’s Place Women’s Center on W. Franklin (for women and children only), and at the Weinberg Housing and Resource Center on Fallsway.

My Sister’s Place is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Weinberg center from 9 to 4. The others are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Baltimore County, meanwhile, has activated its freezing weather plan, which leaves a number of spaces available overnight at two emergency sites.

One is at the Woodlawn Library at 1811 Woodlawn Drive in Woodlawn. The other is the Eastern Family Resource Center at 9150 Franklin Square Drive in Rosedale.

Homeless residents may dial 410-887-8463 and choose option 1 to speak with a screener in the Baltimore County Department of Social Services to help identify shelter options.

Anne Arundel residents have another longstanding program at their disposal.

The Anne Arundel House of Hope, at 7164 E. Furnace Branch Road in Glen Burnie, operates a day center that is open through 3:30 p.m. daily where residents can come in, relax, check their phones, and simply get warm.

The House of Hope also offers its Winter Relief Program for unhoused individuals between October and March. More than 40 houses of worship participate in the program, opening their doors for a week at a time throughout the season to those seeking overnight shelter.

The host sites provide meals, companionship, activities and spiritual guidance.

Anyone experiencing homelessness or who needs resources or services in Anne Arundel County may contact the coordinated entry screening line at 410-417-7260 Monday through Friday, according to the House of Hope website.

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