ST. PAUL — A St. Paul homeless shelter has opened its overflow space in preparation to house more than 220 people ahead of the season’s first snowstorm.

Program director Gerry Lauer said the Dorothy Day Center is filled to capacity. A line formed Sunday night after the center opened the overflow space for the first time in November amid forecasts of up to a foot of snow in the region this week.

Lauer said the center isn’t able to address larger problems surrounding homelessness when it’s managing so many visitors. People sleep on mats just inches apart.

The organization that runs the center recently received a $19 million state investment to build a new facility that will include permanent housing. It has raised about $34 million and aims to open the center in October 2016.