Plummeting temperatures and heavy snowfall have pushed Washtenaw County shelters that serve the area's homeless population beyond capacity.

The National Weather Service is warning that wind chill values tonight will likely fall to 10-15 degrees below zero. And the cold weather will stick around, with highs in the upper teens and low 20s through the week.

Shelters around the area are seeing a rise in people coming in, with many at or near capacity. Ellen Schulmeister, executive director of The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, said The Delonis Center is providing expanded warming center programs and has 25 extra beds thanks to local churches — but the center is still full, she said.

“It’s dangerous to be outside when it’s this cold and windy and below-freezing temperatures,” she said. “It’s very dangerous to be in exposed areas or attempting to sleep outside.”

Getting people out of the cold is a top priority for shelter workers, who have been driving around the area checking on homeless people and encouraging them to come to a shelter, Schulmeister said.

In addition to the normal 75-bed shelter, The Delonis Center at 312 W. Huron St. is providing a 35-bed warming center where people with a blood alcohol level below .10 can get out of the cold. It also has a 25-bed rotating shelter provided by local churches.

Katie Doyle, executive director of Ozone House, said her organization hasn't seen a recent uptick in usage by homeless teenagers, due to the nature of the shelter. Ozone House is used by youth between the ages of 10 and 21 who suffer from abuse and neglect and attempt to get out of their home situation.

However, the weather still affects the shelter’s residents.

“We ask the young people to create a holiday wish list and we expect to see things like iPods and tickets to sporting events,” she said, “and to a person it’s almost always socks, blankets and basic needs.”

Ozone House is beginning to put on holiday programming for the youth who use the shelter, which includes holiday parties and gifts for the residents. Most of the gifts are proper clothing for winter weather, like coats, hooded sweatshirts, scarves, hats and gloves.

The Delonis Center is reaching out to the homeless population as temperatures hover above freezing.

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She said the emergency housing for 10-17-year-olds might have a few people come in to escape the winter cold, but it’s unusual for Ozone House to see a large rise in occupancy. Doyle said it’s fairly typical for other shelters to be beyond full at this time of year.

“Any kind of outdoor sleeping arrangement is not viable right now, people realize that,” she said. “In a cold snap like this, people flock to warming centers and get indoors.”

Schulmeister said she knows of a few encampments where the homeless are attempting to brave the winter temperatures. She said some people who workers have encountered may have propane heaters or other supplies, which make them confident they can weather winter storms.

Workers regularly check on people in the encampments to make sure they're doing OK, she said.

This time of the year — with the holidays and winter both coming soon — is one of the busiest times for The Shelter Association, Schulmeister said. Despite many community members’ generosity, she said the organization needs more donations and supplies to be able to keep providing after Christmas.

“We want to have a supply for the rest of winter too,” she said. “Those items are always in demand.”