Gloucester’s United Emergency Shelter Team (GUEST) program will be entering its fourth season on Dec. 5. The program, which is a coalition of religious and community organizations that provide shelter from the cold during the winter months, will operate seven days a week through April 3, providing a day and night shelter for the homeless in the Middle Peninsula.

According to Kristie Askew, who is program chair, GUEST is hoping to expand its offerings to those who come in the day shelter by adding some staff. It would do this by adding an additional part-time person, who would work individually with clients to help them create improvement plans, set goals and provide resources to them to help them set off in the right direction.

This addition, she said, would nearly double the GUEST budget from last year. The program has a donation page set up through “YouCaring” on the internet, which can be accessed by visiting www.youcaring.com. As of last week, more than $5,000 h...