In Case of Homelessness During Cold Weather Emergency:

Please contact 603.452.7113. Dan Lavigne is taking all calls into our DHHS-funded Cold Weather Emergency Response program for this week only. Our full Cold Weather team will be up and running the week of Dec 15th.

Carroll County's Cold Weather Emergency Shelter Program — administered by the Way Station —  **is extending from today (Wed, Dec 10) at least thru the night of Thursday, Dec 18th* based on snowfall snd single digit temp/windchill forecast. Full activation prioritizes our most vulnerable population. We focus first on people living outside (camping or entirely unsheltered) and then on folks living in vehicles or similar circumstances. **For now, please make referrals to our main number via Dan Lavigne: 603.452.7113**

The parameters for activating this emergency shelter response are quite stringent due to limited funding. We only activate for temperatures or wind chill factor in single digits (Fahrenheit), or snow storms or freezing rain. We first activated as of Nov 29 and will operate, based solely on weather conditions, until the worst of the winter concludes, usually by early April. We do not offer contiguous stays in hotels.

Carroll County's Cold Weather Program is currently activated due to weather emergencies of snow storms and extreme cold through Thursday night, Dec 18. To refer someone in danger in our region, please contact 603.452.7113 during weekdays. We do not maintain 24/7 response so please make referrals as soon as possible.

Carroll County's Cold Weather Emergency Shelter Program — administered by the Way Station —  **is extending from today (Wed, Dec 10) at least thru the night of Thursday, Dec 18th* based on snowfall snd single digit temp/windchill forecast. Full activation prioritizes our most vulnerable population. We focus first on people living outside (camping or entirely unsheltered) and then on folks living in vehicles or similar circumstances. **For now, please make referrals to our main number via Dan Lavigne: 603.452.7113**

Until we’re sure our newest Cold Weather team member is prepared to handle upcoming weather emergencies, **please make referrals to our main number via Dan Lavigne: 603.452.7113**. 

Remember that our county doesn’t have a designated year-round public shelter to receive unhoused individuals. Instead we are offering extremely limited responses in cooperation with other wraparound professionals and agencies whenever possible. Cold weather activations, including use of hotels as emergency shelter, only last thru extreme weather conditions; they do not include contiguous use of hotels beyond snowfall or life-threatening temperatures. 

Please forward this email to any contacts you believe should have this information, such as first responders, local social workers, public health care providers, etc.!  We need the names and contact info for anyone that is being referred into the cold weather program, so our team can reach out to them.

The list of possible services for emergency response are as follows, as a reminder.

• Hotel rooms with first prioritization for campers [unless they have been banned from hotels]

• Gas cards for people in cars [unless temps/conditions are extremely dangerous and they are offered hotel rooms for overnight safety]

• Camping gear for people who have been disqualified from any hotel stays 

Way Station has partnered with local hotels in Ossipee and North Conway.  If clients are unable to stay in hotels, they can receive other services from Way Station like gas cards or camping gear, depending on their situation.  Further, Jennifer L. From the Way Station’s cold weather team will also be in touch to enroll or update people’s info in the state’s HMIS database, which is a requirement of participating in this program.  Once a client is known to our team, we will continue to keep in touch with them for check-ins, to further assist them with services or referrals to other agencies.  Way Station is the agency that administers the grant-funded DHHS Cold Weather Emergency Shelter Program for Carroll County. 

The Way Station's contact number for all other services that the Way station provides remains 603-452-7113, answered by client services coordinator Dan Lavigne. Year-round frontline services include provision of shelf stable food, gas cards, phones/phone cards, laundry cards, use of PO Box to get mail or register car, etc, camping gear, emergency clothing, toiletries, showers by appointment on Monday or Thursday at 17 Grove st, North Conway, or referrals to other nonprofits and service providers.  Dan also keeps mobile hours in Ossippee once each week.