On Saturday, the newly reelected Congressman Jim Moran came by an open house for A-SPAN's Emergency Winter Shelter to talk about the nature of the upcoming season, as both a giving and a freezing time.

"Although we have a strong economy, there are still people on the edge who ought not suffer when we have the resources to help," Moran said.  The congressman stressed the need for services like those A-SPAN provides during the cold winter months, and the generosity of the community that provides them.

A-SPAN, or Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, operates the winter shelter from November 1-March 31 as a place where the homeless can go to not only avoid hypothermia, but to get medical assistance, career help, or permanent housing placement.

The shelter can serve up to 80 people a night, but only for 5 months of the year. Kathleen Sibert, Executive Director of A-SPAN, says the shelter's biggest need right now is funding to stay open year-round.

"When you're living on the street, it takes all day to figure out where you're going to sleep, how to take care of your basic hygiene, what you're going to eat," Sibert said.  When people have housing and meals taken care of they can focus on other services, like receiving medical care or job placement. The employees at the Emergency Winter Shelter make connections with people who come back night after night during the winter and try to find them permanent supportive housing through HUD programs.

"I would like for it to be all year round," Congressman Moran said of the shelter.

For the months when the shelter is open, A-SPAN usually has a surplus of volunteers. A program to hand out bagged meals on the street can be booked months in advance, and many local businesses schedule volunteer days for their employees.

The shelter gets support from the community in more creative ways, as well. Jan Sacharko, Director of Development for A-SPAN, said that during last February's blizzard, he got a call at 5 a.m. saying the shelter needed bread, peanut butter, jelly, and snacks. He put out a call on A-SPAN's Twitter, and by the time he arrived to work at 11 a.m., the food had been delivered by volunteers who follow the account.

"People really want to give back and help," Sarah Morse, the shelter's volunteer coordinator, said.

Until A-SPAN can secure funding for the shelter to stay open all year, the focus will be on making the most of what they have. Rooms on the entire first floor of the shelter's building by the Court House Metro were filled with old office supplies and boxes of donations because there was not a fire escape until Sibert pushed to have one installed last year. The floor is now women-only and houses 20 women a night, compared to 3-5 a night that were served before the fire door was added.

Moran voiced his support for the work the volunteers do for Arlington's homeless. "The fact that A-SPAN is here is a reflection of the caring nature of this community," the congressman said.