Bill Halle, founder of The Net Outreach on Center Avenue, makes a cot for the people who stay overnight at the warming center. Now in its fourth year offering meals and a warm bed for the night, demand at the center has more than doubled from last year.

Visits to Butler County’s only overnight warming center have been on the upswing this winter.

Bill Halle, founder of The Net Outreach on Center Avenue, said the center has had a constant influx of guests since November.

Winter weather has been particularly bitter this past week, with some nights and mornings reaching subzero temperatures. But cold is cold, Halle said.

“The weather, in people’s minds, is the factor that would cause somebody to come in, but really there’s a temperature on the thermometer between negative 11 and 20 degrees,” he said. “Twenty degrees is still too cold. Just the fact that it hits a negative number doesn’t mean that we get more people in, but we’ve been very consistent.”

Now in the fourth year of offering overnight stays, demand has more than doubled from last year.

As of Sunday, there have been 1,243 bed stays at The Net Outreach since Nov. 1, made up of 159 people. Last year, there were 629 stays the entire season.

“We still have a month and a half to go,” Halle said.

Meals are available for people when they arrive in the evening and before they leave in the morning. The center also distributes items such as socks, underwear and gloves as needed.

Halle said many of the guests suffer from drug and alcohol or mental health problems.

The facility, at 100 Center Ave., can provide for up to 20 guests each night. There have been nights when it was at capacity.

Cindy Cipoletti, executive director of The Lighthouse Foundation, said her agency has given some referrals to The Net since the cold weather began.

Its emergency shelter facility on New Castle Road, Safe Harbor, typically has a waiting period. The Lighthouse also offers transitional housing to individuals and families.

Kierston Hobaugh, interim executive director at the Butler County United Way, said the 211 help hot line has been busy, particularly during the recent cold snap.

“211 has definitely been getting the phone calls,” Hobaugh said. “There has been a spike with the cold days.”

She said the hot line can help people with emergency heating needs for their homes and can refer people to the nearest warming shelter if necessary.

The United Way also has a program called the Butler Emergency Relief Initiative that helps with heating bill payments.

Eagle staff writer John Bojarski contributed to this report.