Northwest Arkansas shelters were full over the weekend as a result of arctic air blowing in Friday evening.

While some shelters were able to take in people beyond capacity, others had to turn people away due to lack of room.

Temperatures in the area over the weekend and through Monday morning were the coldest of the season so far, reaching as low as 7 degrees in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

Fayetteville’s Collaborative Response for Extreme Weather initiative has been a successful community effort providing safe, warm spaces for people to go when temperatures reach a wind chill of or feel like 15 degrees or below, according to Becci Sisson, 7Hills homeless shelter CEO.

The partnerships between the city of Fayetteville, 7Hills, Potter’s House, Genesis Church and the Salvation Army in Fayetteville have put the city in the best position it has ever been in for extreme weather response, Sisson said.

The first stint of cold earlier this month went really well, “and when it came time to ramp up again on Saturday, we felt very prepared,” she said.

The 7Hills overnight shelter has 64 beds year-round and a capacity of 72 through extreme weather. Sisson said the overflow from the 7Hills overnight shelter goes to Genesis Church, and its capacity is around 100 people.

Since Friday, 7Hills and Genesis had around 180 people per night come for a place to stay out of the cold.

“We did not turn anyone away,” Sisson said. Staff and volunteers were able to make room beyond capacity, even if someone had to sleep on a pallet on the floor, she added.

Fayetteville is fortunate to have such a collaborative system, she said.

When the weather forecasts temperatures that feel like 15 degrees or below, people can go to the 7Hills day shelter at Jefferson Elementary School around 5:30 p.m. to be assigned a bed at either the night shelter or Genesis Church, Sisson said.

The church then provides transportation to take people where they need to go, she added.

The overnight shelters operate from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. during extreme weather, and the 7Hills day center is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those who need shelter during the day are transported to the day center, Sisson said.

Though the system has been working, 7Hills has been getting more calls from outside the city, and Fayetteville’s response team cannot be the solution for sheltering everyone in surrounding cities, she said.

“One of the things that needs to happen is each community really needs to have a cold weather response,” she said, because though Fayetteville can respond, it needs help.

While the system is functioning, the situation is not ideal right now, Sisson said. Space is limited; everyone is making the most of it because they know how important it is to be inside where it is safe, she said.

The extreme weather response in Fayetteville will close down at noon Wednesday, due to temperatures rising, Sisson added.

When it comes time to prepare for the next cold spell, she said for people to check the 7Hills Facebook page for opportunities to volunteer or donate.

In Benton County, there are not as many options for people to take shelter against the cold, and shelters have had a more difficult time over the past few days, according to a Rogers shelter director.

People are stressed and anxious trying to find places that can take them in during extreme cold, said Bradley Clyne, director of the WayStation, a shelter and resource center in Rogers.

Clyne said WayStation has two emergency rooms where up to 12 people can stay for two weeks. Recently he converted two offices into spaces where up to six more people can stay, he added.

The facility’s landlords will not allow the organization to shelter any additional people overnight in main areas, he said, so the only option is to send people to the Benton County Salvation Army, Clyne said.

He had to send mothers and children away over the weekend due to a lack of room, he added.

Clyne said he is grateful for the Salvation Army shelter, though it is not a place he wants to send anybody because people end up sleeping on a mat on the floor.

“I would normally never ever be able to turn someone away, but we are so full,” he added.

In the daytime, WayStation can hold between 30 and 50 people, though it is packed when it gets above 40, Clyne said.

“We try to take care of our own, but it’s quite difficult,” Clyne said.

People can donate hand warmers, sleeping bags, men’s shoes, and old blankets and quilts for WayStation to distribute during these cold months, he said.

Patrick Connelly, commander for The Salvation Army of Northwest Arkansas, said the Bentonville shelter saw an 88.7% occupancy use over the weekend, and the Fayetteville shelter saw 73.2%. Between the two shelters, there is a capacity for 96 people, then 50 extra people during cold weather that is 32 degrees or below.

He added there were 14 children accommodated for cold weather over the weekend, the youngest being 1 year old. He said the shelters turn away registered sex offenders because of the population they serve.

Check-in times are normally 6 to 9 p.m., but during temperatures 32 degrees or below, emergency overflow space is opened and intake can happen earlier, Connelly said.

Because the Salvation Army shelters operate every night of the year, expanding capacity for those who need shelter during cold weather is routine, he said.

Clean socks are the most requested item at Salvation Army shelters and are always in short supply, Connelly said. Additional partnerships are also always needed to provide more options for unsheltered people to go, he added.