Buncombe County Activates Code Purple Winter Shelter for March 16

Buncombe County's emergency cold-weather shelter network opened across five locations beginning March 16, offering 121 total beds to unhoused residents as temperatures dropped into dangerous ranges across Western North Carolina. The Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care issued the activation notice, with shelter operations confirmed for at least March 16 and 17, according to reporting from WLOS. Buncombe County's own website displayed a "Code Purple Activated" header dated March 18, suggesting the network remained in operation through at least that date.

The activation follows the program's established trigger thresholds: Code Purple engages when temperatures reach 32 degrees or below, or anywhere between 33 and 40 degrees with precipitation. Winter Shelter sites are scheduled to operate nightly through March 31, with the broader Code Purple season running through April 30.

Five sites divided by population absorbed the overflow. Safe Shelter's location at 91 New Leicester Highway held 40 beds for men, accessible via the WE1 West bus route. The Salvation Army at 204 Haywood Street provided 16 additional beds for men, served by the W5, WE1 West, and WE2 West routes. Women and women with children could access ABCCM Transformation Village at 30 Olin Haven Way, which held 35 people on the W2 route. Safe Shelter's second location at 27 Balm Grove added 10 beds for women, reachable via the W2, W1, and W6 routes. Homeward Bound/AHOPE at 19 N. Ann Street dedicated its 20-bed Code Purple capacity specifically to couples and people with pets, with W6, WE1 West, and WE2 West service.

Entry at all sites ran from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone arriving after 8 p.m. needed assistance from public safety or outreach staff to gain entry. Notably, neither sobriety nor identification was required to enter any of the shelters, a policy the Asheville Homelessness Coalition confirmed publicly.

Asheville Rides Transit provided free bus service to all shelter locations in the evening and returned riders to downtown the following morning. Multiple sources reported ART service beginning at 5:20 p.m. to the shelter sites, though one source listed the start time as 5:20 a.m., a likely error that had not been officially clarified as of publication.

Anyone seeking more information can reach Code Purple and Winter Shelter coordinators at 828-785-4855 or by emailing homelessnessstrategy@ashevillenc.gov. A recorded information line is also available at 828-398-6011.