Code Purple is a coordinated effort among Asheville and Buncombe County shelters and other organizations to provide emergency overflow shelter to people experiencing homelessness during extremely cold weather (at or below 32 degrees, including wind chill, or 33-40 degrees with precipitation).
During Code Purple, participating shelters will provide more beds with fewer requirements than their typical programming. Code Purple sites will also work with participants to refer them to ongoing shelter and housing options.
- ABC will provide shuttle service with pickups at its Crisis Ministry (24 Cumberland Ave.) at 4 p.m.
- Bus transit through ART is free to Code Purple sites at night and from Code Purple sites to downtown the following morning Riders should identify themselves to the driver as needing free transit to Code Purple sites beginning 3:20pm and going to 8:00pm (when general shelter intake closes)
- The morning after a Code Purple event, transport is available back to Coxe Ave terminal from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on weekdays/Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Sundays. Inbound service is not available after above times if Code Purple has not been issued for that night also.
- When Code Purple is in effect for multiple days, ART transport is available throughout the day.
- Backpacks and other belongings must not obstruct the aisle or limit access to seats for other passengers, passengers may be denied based on too many bags.
- Drivers reserve the right to eject passengers for disruptive, dangerous, or threatening behavior or speech.
- Community Paramedics and Community Responders are available to provide transportation for people who are unable to access bus transit.
- Mission Hospital will facilitate taxi service to Code Purple shelters for people being discharged from the hospital.
- ABCC will facilitate shuttle service to/from the transit stop closest to Transformation Village
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Visit https://www.ashevillehomelesscoalition.org/ for more information.
Written by the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Coalition.