A code blue alert must be called when temperatures are expected to fall below 32 degrees with wind chill for at least two consecutive hours in the city or town that has the largest population of unsheltered homeless persons.

In the city of Binghamton, one organization is taking in those who need shelter from the cold.

UPComfort Center Supervisor Jeff Pryor said, "The UPComfort center and emergency overnight shelter is meant to house unhoused individuals as a program from the Addiction Center of Broome County, or ACBC and we started just two years ago in April to really tackle the housing crisis here in Broome County itself."

The UPComfort Center can house up to 42 people per night, providing a clean place to sleep, laundry services, hot showers, and a hot meal.

All services are provided free of charge, to anyone who shows up.

Located at 42 Chenango Street, Office hours are open during the day from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., and the center opens for overnight stays from 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.

Having gone through her own struggles and now working at the UPComfort Center, Certified Recovery Advocate AJ Driscoll says, "It's nice that I am able to give back to the community and use that little experience to help people that, you know, haven't really had any experience with it yet. Everybody is a person at the end of the day and we all deserve be treated with respect. And that's how I feel about it."

Being able to provide people with a place to not only stay but give them help in getting things back on track in their lives, is a critical service that goes a long way.

Pryor said, "I think once they come here and realize that we're doing the right work for them and we're really investing our time and efforts into their future, they come back and they tap into the services that we offer just to take advantage of turning their life around and moving forward. "

A few other locations designated as temporary shelters during code blue alerts include the Broome County Department of Social Services, the YWCA of Broome County, the YMCA of Broome County, and Volunteers of America.