Norwich ― Local faith leaders and human services agencies hope to open a cold weather emergency overnight center in Norwich in response to a sharp rise in homelessness.

The Norwich Area Interfaith Association this fall approached city leaders and human services agencies across the region offering to lead an effort to start a winter emergency overnight warming center.

The center would be open only when Gov. Ned Lamont activates the state’s severe cold weather protocol, which directs people to call 211 to learn where local warming centers are located.

The Rev. David Horst, chairman of the interfaith association and an outreach worker for the New London Homeless Hospitality Center, said the association first met with city leaders Oct. 31 to discuss the need for an overnight center in Norwich. The group offered to take the lead to find a suitable location and to train volunteers.

Norwich hosted an overnight center for 10 years from 2002 to 2012, last located in the basement level of the Buckingham Memorial building on Main Street. Homeless numbers declined, and agencies moved toward a regional approach to help people find transitional and permanent housing.

But local officials said the numbers of unhoused, unsheltered people has risen dramatically in the past two years. Norwich Human Services Director Kate Milde said agencies have identified 52 individuals living outside this winter.

A homeless camp was destroyed by fire off Hamilton Avenue in Norwich on Nov. 30, city fire officials said.

Cathy Zall, director of the New London Homeless Hospitality Center, said when the center opened its winter overnight warming center last year, about 10 people came. When the center opened this fall, 40 people have been coming every night.

“We do need more capacity in our region, and the logical places are the urban areas, Norwich and New London,” Zall said. “I know people in Norwich are concerned as well.”

Zall said a winter overnight center is “nothing fancy,” offering mats for people to sleep on the floor during severe weather. She sometimes questions the state’s protocols, saying conditions are just as dangerous when temperatures are in the 20s as when the thermometer dips to 19 or lower.

Outreach workers at human services agencies in Norwich, New London and Groton routinely reach out to unhoused people during harsh weather, including the recent warm weather torrential downpours that hit the region. During the day, people are encouraged to seek shelter in available facilities, such as St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen in Norwich, libraries and senior centers.

Horst, pastor of the Norwich Unitarian Universalist Congregation, said he is confident an emergency winter overnight center will open in Norwich this winter. But he could not estimate when. The group needs to secure a suitable location, obtain insurance coverage and train staff to run the service. The interfaith association is leading the effort, but the city would need to approve a location as safe for overnight occupancy.

“None of these are insurmountable, but it’s going to take some work,” Horst said.

It might not happen this winter, he added. Zall said it’s difficult to ask local churches to run such a center, which would need trained staff and expertise to be successful.

Norwich City Manager John Salomone acknowledged the growing need for winter overnight services. He said in recent years, Norwich opened the Rose City Senior Center during the day as an emergency warming center, but few people took advantage of the service. The city would have kept the center open overnight, but there was no need. At times, the city paid for overnight hotel stays for one or two people as a more cost-effective alternative.

Salomone said Norwich could not provide insurance coverage for an outside organization but would help find a suitable location, and human services staff would help with outreach to unsheltered people to offer services.

Homelessness is on the rise statewide. The Coalition to End Homelessness held a news conference last week to discuss the issue and push for legislation to provide more money for homelessness response services. According to data from the By Name List – a list of people who have completed intake forms with various service agencies – there were 4,224 people experiencing homelessness statewide, including 400 children, a story by the Connecticut Mirror stated.

The report said just over 1,000 people are living outside this winter.

“It is worrisome,” Horst said. “The coalition is pushing the state to do something. It’s a tough time. The weather isn’t bitterly cold, but we will be going out. The weather will be getting cold.”

c.bessette@theday.com