STEUBENVILLE — When temperatures plunged into the single digits just before Christmas, a 24-year-old domestic assault victim and her 8-month-old baby were locked out of their home with just the clothes on their backs while another child slept in a second-story bedroom.

The woman, who was pregnant, told police she had been kicked in the stomach and back, choked and thrown to the ground before her boyfriend fled with the house key, prosecutors said.

She had no money, no family in the area and nowhere to go — a situation exacerbated by Urban Mission’s decision to close all its emergency shelters Oct. 30 due to funding issues.

City police said they couldn’t let her stay in her home because her assailant was on the loose and still had a key, so they passed the hat among themselves and booked the victim and her children into a hotel in the Weirton-Steubenville area where they would be safe while officers searched for him and a shelter that could accommodate the family of three.

Capt. Ettor Canestraro, midnight-turn supervisor, said they had tried “numerous times” that night to enlist the assistance of local resources designed for such situations, only to come up short. So they “took it upon themselves to provide safety and shelter to the family as the exigent circumstances dictated.”

“No police officer does anything like this with the intention of being recognized publicly or even having their stories made known outside the department,” Canestraro said. “We are reluctant to do so. Police officers do this because in their hearts it is the right thing to do, and it is the main reason they became police officers — to be able to help those in the community in as meaningful a way as possible when they are most vulnerable.”

Urban Mission at one time maintained 59 beds spread across three locations in Steubenville — their primary shelter on Sixth Street, a women’s shelter and family units in the south end — that typically operated at capacity.

Since those facilities closed nearly five months ago, officials say finding a bed in a shelter, even for a night, has been much harder.

The city’s A.L.I.V.E. shelter, although not directly impacted by Urban Mission’s decision, is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and their children. But on the night of the pregnant mother’s assault it wasn’t available.

“You have resources you can call to help out in these situations, but we couldn’t get any help that night, so we took it upon ourselves to do it,” Canestraro said. “It was 8 degrees out and it wasn’t safe for her to stay in the house. He still had a key.

“We can’t just leave people in situations like that — that’s not what our job is. Coupled with the fact she had no family and no friends in the area, we couldn’t even offer to take her somewhere because there was no place for her to go. You do what you can with what you have — in this instance, we could do something, so we did it.”

Police Chief Ken Anderson said those kinds of things happen more often than people realize, noting the night crew in the past has gone shopping for clean pajamas for a young boy who had to leave his home in the middle of the night and needed something to wear for pajama day at school.

“People can look in the paper and read about the citations they issue, the arrests they make and some of the calls they respond to, but they rarely get to hear about the times our officers go above and beyond the call of duty to help people,” Anderson said.

“This is a great example of one of those times. Typically, in these situations we would transport the woman and her children to a family member’s home or contact a local agency that provides shelter to victims of domestic violence. But that night the agency didn’t respond and she had no family in the area.

“It was the middle of the night and very cold out. This pregnant victim of domestic violence and her two small children had nowhere to go and no one to help them, so these officers stepped up and took it upon themselves to find them a safe place for the night. They didn’t do it expecting anything in return or for recognition — they did it because they care and it was the right thing to do.”

Area homeless advocates say it’s the kind of thing police and the community have always done, but the shelters’ closing added urgency.

“During the recent snowstorm especially, local police departments, sheriff’s deputies, fire departments, local churches and organizations, volunteers — everybody came together to get us through it,” Resource Network Coordinator Beth Rupert-Warren said.

“It’s what our community is all about — when there’s a need, people come together.”

Law enforcement “was doing welfare checks, getting people groceries and medicine” or transporting them to warming shelters that churches and volunteer organizations hastily organized to fill the vacuum.

Rupert-Warren said one county resident saw an elderly man struggling to walk in the cold and snow and gave him a ride home, which turned out to be “a dilapidated shanty with no heat or electricity.”

He took him to a family member’s home, where they eventually discovered the man had frostbite.

“For me, it was inspirational to see how many people were willing to help and did help,” Rupert-Warren said. “Residents, agencies, churches, law enforcement — it was the community coming together. You always hear the negative, but there’s so much positive stuff going on.”

One big positive, she said, is that the Columbiana County Community Action Council — which already has an 11-bed emergency shelter in the region — is preparing to open a 22-bed shelter for men, women and families in downtown Steubenville.

Because CCCAC stepped in to fill the management void, funding previously awarded to Urban Mission was preserved and will remain in the region instead of being given to other counties throughout Ohio.

CCCAC organizers say they are finishing their pre-opening checklist so they can obtain their occupancy permit.

Community Service Director Martina Grimm said they hope to be operating by the end of April.

Grimm said they will show locals the ins and outs of shelter management and, if they are interested, hand over control in a couple of years.

“There’s definitely a need,” Grimm said. “We were already in the region. We know there’s a need and we didn’t want to lose homeless beds in our area.”

Rupert-Warren said many are breathing easier knowing help is on the way.

“It’s been awful when you’re used to calling and you know no beds are available,” Teresa Lamp said. “It’s been very challenging, and we’re very appreciative of CCCAC for keeping money that was in Jefferson County in Jefferson County. If no one had stepped up and said they would manage it, that money would have been reallocated to other counties.”

Anderson said police officers “show up each and every day and work incredibly hard to serve and protect their community.”

“The feeling of going home at the end of the shift knowing your actions kept someone else safe or shielded them from potential harm is what keeps us motivated to protect and serve and is what makes our profession special,” Canestraro added.

“Acts like this occur every day and everywhere in America. Sometimes you are privileged enough to share your story with those outside the police family.”