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Valley Homeless Shelters Brace For Hot Temperatures

Homeless panhandler poverty
(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)
A homeless man asking for money in downtown Phoenix.

This weekend is expected to be the hottest of the year so far. A Phoenix homeless shelter is bracing for temperatures that could soar as high as 119 degrees. 

The problem is the 470 beds at the Central Arizona Shelter Servicesor CASS already are full almost every night, said CASS spokesman David Smith. He added homeless people trying to escape the heat likely will have to rely on the adjacent Lodestar Day Resource Center and St. Vincent de Paul, which were not built to house people.

“So when the weather is extreme or when we’re full, again, which is pretty much almost nightly, they are placing mats on the floor after they clear out their tables and chairs to accommodate individuals that we cannot here,” Smith said.  

CASS also is doing a bottled water drive to try to keep homeless hydrated. Smith said the organization gives away an estimated 25,000 bottles of water each month during the summer.

“Bottled water is our greatest need,” he said, “But we also ask for hats and umbrellas, sunscreen and deodorant- all items that are really important to the homeless and are in short supply at the shelter.” 

Smith said his group is hoping the public will donate 300,000 bottles of water, which would be a record for CASS.

Stina Sieg was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2013 to 2018.