The whole state of Connecticut started off their weekend bundled up. Temperatures were well below freezing with wind chills approaching zero. For most that means staying indoors, but for the cities homeless it is much more serious.
Friday night a brand new "No Freeze" shelter opened in Hartford with 100 beds available for homeless men. This shelter is an answer to the city's overflow of people needing a warm place to sleep on frigid nights, after the Salvation Army decided to close its emergency shelter.
The shelter is located in the Old Second Church of Christ near the Capitol building in downtown Hartford. The state bought the vacant building in 2007, and offered it to the city to be used to help the homeless. Within a week, the city turned the run-down inside into a neat and clean room.
"The last thing we want is any of the people in our great Hartford city freezing," said Governor Jodi Rell. "The purpose behind this is the state owns this building. It's basically sitting vacant right now."
The shelter opened its doors for the first time at 7 p.m. and will remain open every night until April.
Sharon Pisiakowski who helps run the shelter says there were a lot of generous people who helped turned the old building into a livable shelter so quickly.
"They're going to be able to get a nice warm place to sleep, out of the cold. A nice warm dinner and some coffee in the morning to start their day off," said Pisiakowski.
For the latest on Connecticut's weather, click on NBC Connecticut.
